Gated housing societies in the national capital were never porous, but they have become fortress in little more than 60 days during the Covid-19 lockdown, thanks to Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs).
These bodies are allegedly acting as an extended arm of the administrative authorities in executing government orders.
The residents staying in such housing societies have claimed that they had to pay heavy price while adhering to RWAs’ strict regulations. From barring the services of domestic helps, drivers, plumbers, electricians and water-purifier repairmen to restricting the entry of outsiders, newspaper vendors and food delivery men, most RWAs in Delhi-NCR have their own set of rules, which often override the objections of many residents.
Lately, dubbed as the ‘modern-day khap panchayats’ on social media for issuing such “diktats”, members of RWAs have had to face the ire of administration and the residents during the lockdown period.
So much so that the RWA of Neelpadam Kunj Society at Vaishali in Ghaziabad passed a notice of completely banning the entry and exit of doctors and medical workers citing the risk of spreading the virus. The district administration has clarified that the RWA has no power to issue an order in this regard.
Many have alleged that members of RWAs are elected by residents of housing complexes, colonies and blocks to manage the daily affairs, but during this outbreak, these bodies are acting as ‘vigilantes’. In many cases, they have been found acting on their own without taking requisite permission from their respective government representatives.
“RWA and managing committee members are selected by us; either they should work or vacate their seats for others who could take the decisions. There should be mutual policies for all. If they are unable to take decisive actions, residents must see what is good for their society, residents can’t be left helpless in this hour of crisis. We should think as a family and take sensible decisions,” said Om Prakash, a resident of a society in Ghaziabad.
RWAs, however, said they are following the official advisories, but there is a communication gap between them and the government bodies.“We are doing our best to follow the government guidelines. We understand that some people in the society need services of domestic helps, but we are currently not allowing them as it could be too dangerous. As and when the government relaxes more things, we can start allowing them as well,” VK Tripathi, RWA head of Ajnara Landmark society in Vaishali.
Atul Goyal, president of the United RWA Joint Action (URJA) — an umbrella body of more than 2,000 housing associations in the city, said the government needs to come up with specific guidelines for RWAs as well.
“There is a lack of public consultation from the government’s end. We have faced several problems in the last two months during the lockdown and continue to because there is a clear gap in the government rules. There should be a separate standard operating procedure (SOP) for RWAs from the government so that it becomes easier for us to explain it to the residents,” said Goyal.He said RWAs are only screening the entrants before they resume work to ensure that there is no compromise on the safety of residents.
“Strangely, a bus driver/conductor, an autorickshaw driver, a shop keeper can be entrusted, but a duly elected body representing a residential area is seen with doubts when it comes to protecting own people,” added Goyal.
The URJA, set up in 2005, gathers, analyses, disseminates information and aggregates public opinions to demand efficient delivery of civic amenities, health services and security.
Vishal Pandey, general secretary of the Walled City Residential Welfare Federation, a union of around seven big colonies within Shahajanbad area of Delhi, said they have raised their issues with the government over the lockdown norms not being followed in the congested areas.
“It is a matter of great concern that the authorities have failed in the walled city to safeguard the lives and health of residents during this crisis. The conditions are deteriorating in Naya Bazar, Khari Baori, Sushila Mohan Marg and other adjacent areas; all the markets involved in mixed land use policy are not following the odd-even rule and social distancing norms. This has exposed the entire area to a significant risk of coronavirus infection. We have made repeated complaints to cops at the Lahori Gate police station and other concerned stakeholders, but no effective action has been taken so far,” said Pandey.
However, the RWAs, find themselves in a fix over opening society gates to outsiders, service providers and relatives of residents. In NCR, more layers of security have been added, making further protocols that residents need to follow, mainly because of the floating population which is mostly a service class and resides in Ghaziabad and Noida but has to travel to Delhi for work.After the lockdown 3.0 rules were relaxed, allowing private offices to function with 50 per cent of staff strength, these societies came up with more rules.
Protest in Noida
A few days ago in Noida, healthcare workers of Felix Hospital held a protest outside a housing society in sector-137 after they were blamed by the residents for “spreading disease” after one of them contracted Covid-19 allegedly from a nurse at the hospital.
“Cooperation from residents is the most important aspect during these tough times. There have been instances when I had to face the ire of residents because their cars were not cleaned properly. Mostly, senior citizens face difficulties with the regulations, which have restricted their morning and walks. But at times, it becomes tough to convince them. We are following all the directives issued by the district magistrate,” said Nitin Kaul, an RWA member at Gaur Grandeur in sector-119, Noida. The society, with 1,000 flats, has set timings for housemaids and car cleaners. Every resident has to fill up a form undertaking the responsibility of fulfilling all the security measures advised by the government.
Sanjay Bhardwaj, RWA president of the L Block in Dilshad Colony — the first containment zone in Delhi, said sanitation problem persists in the area.“I do not know who to blame, whether it is the Delhi government or the MCD, but we have a serious issue of cleanliness. The L Block was a containment zone till recently, so the movement is still very limited in the area. Only after complaining to the MCD or the area SDM, the garbage piled up here is cleared,” said Bhardwaj.