The Hindu : Tenant housing societies being `harassed'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 05, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

Tenant housing societies being `harassed'

By K.Satyamurty

Bangalore July 4. Families living in nearly 450 apartments in Bangalore are facing tough times. Major problems confront ``tenant co-partnership housing societies'' in Malleswaram, Indiranagar, Jayanagar, Banashankari and a few other residential areas.

Unlike other housing societies, in the case of a tenant co-partnership society, the ownership of the building and land vests in the society.

There are nearly 16 such societies in the City and the flats mostly occupied by middle-class families, including those of retired government officials. Under the Cooperative Society Act there is a provision to register such societies.

The distinct feature of these societies is that none of them have ever received any benefit or concession of any kind from the government or other official agencies, for allocation of land or for construction, according to their office-bearers.

``We pooled our own resources and worked together to construct our apartment building,'' one of them explained. Some of these societies exist since the 1950s and most are at least 20 years old.

Unlike apartment owners' associations where individual owners have a title and are independent and individually responsible for taxes and maintenance costs, the tenant co-partnership society is a single entity of collective tenants. Such societies are most common in cities such as Mumbai and Delhi.

The society in this case takes all responsibility of paying all statutory levies. Most of them were managed well with a collective leadership, the office-bearers said.

The society is the sole owner and holder of title to the apartment building and individual ownership rights do not exist. This is said to have been upheld in several cases decided by various High Courts.

It is against this background that the tenant-members of such societies are forced to fight a battle. The Department of Stamps and Registration along with the Registrar of Cooperative Societies has reportedly started a detailed investigation into the functioning of these societies.

``We are being harassed due to some frivolous complaint that the government is losing revenue on stamp duty because individual owners do not have titles, and this is like chasing a mirage,'' the office-bearers of these societies claimed.

The officials were insisting on the societies producing all records and documents right from their inception, dating back to decades. Even when the records were produced, the harassment continued, the office-bearers said.

They had collectively pleaded with the Chief Minister last year about being punished without cause. Though they had given a written appeal nothing had resulted from it.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

Stories in this Section

PROOF to bring accountability and transparency in BMP

`Hero Ezee SX' launched

Amruthanjan launches `Diakyur'

Tenant housing societies being `harassed'

Four touts handed over to police

Two new KSRTC services