Noida: In a pan-NCR crackdown on overstaying RWAs and AOAs, a large chunk of residents’ bodies that have continued in office long after their mandated tenure, the deputy registrar (firms, societies and chits) department said it will now be stepping in to directly oversee elections in such societies.The move follows a surge in complaints from residents alleging that RWAs in several housing societies had remained in power far beyond the prescribed two-year term. In some cases, elections had not been conducted for more than five-six years, allowing certain residents’ groups to consolidate control in their sectors and apartment complexes.Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad, which have seen rapid growth of urban housing in the region, together have more than 1,000 registered RWAs and AOAs, which manage day-to-day affairs in most neighbourhoods — from maintenance and security to civic services and community facilities. But these bodies have also become flashpoints for disputes over leadership, finances and decision-making.“In the last eight months, elections were conducted in around 30 societies in Noida and 20 in Ghaziabad after our intervention,” said Vaibhav Kumar, deputy registrar for the two districts. “In several cases, the RWAs had overstayed their tenure for years.”Typically, RWAs and AOAs conduct their own elections and simply inform the registrar’s office once a new governing body is elected. But when disputes arise or elections are repeatedly delayed, the department can step in to supervise the process and appoint an independent observer.The scale of the problem is evident in several societies. At Supertech Capetown, elections were held only after a gap of five years, while in Greater Noida’s Gaur Homes and the Beta-2 sector, polls took place after more than seven years. In another case, residents of Alpha-1 sector recently filed a complaint with the district administration alleging that RWA elections had not been held for nearly 15 years.Harinder Bhati of the Active Citizens Team, a residents’ group, said repeated attempts to hold elections in Alpha-1 had failed. “Every time elections are about to take place, the incumbent body creates pressure and the process gets stalled. We have urged the administration to ensure polls are held this year,” he said.Officials said they are now compiling a list of societies where elections are overdue. Once the list is finalised, polls will be conducted in accordance with provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Apartment Act and the Societies Registration Act, 1860. Under the Act, members of an AOA governing body can hold office only for two consecutive years. The fresh push for elections follows an earlier audit by the district administration last year, which sought to create a comprehensive database of housing societies in Noida and Greater Noida. The exercise recorded details of governing bodies and the dates of their last elections, and directed societies that had exceeded their tenure to initiate the poll process.In Ghaziabad, the district administration also formed a high-level committee to address disputes involving RWAs and AOAs after a surge in complaints during public hearings.Residents had raised concerns ranging from delayed elections and alleged misconduct by office-bearers to poor maintenance of common areas, malfunctioning lifts and misuse of authority by governing bodies.Officials said the new round of supervised elections is intended to bring greater transparency to these associations and ensure that the bodies meant to represent residents remain accountable to them.
