Title: Housing Societies React to Draft Rules — A Sitcom in the Making

 



Scene opens with 24 housing society members on a Zoom call. No one knows how to mute themselves, and 3 aunties are shouting over each other. Mr. Sharma's dog is barking in the background. Welcome to the democratic chaos.

Act 1: The Arrival of the Draft Rules

The government quietly uploaded the new Draft Rules for Housing Societies on a Thursday. Unfortunately, society members noticed it immediately, because Ramesh Uncle has Google Alerts set for the words "maintenance fees" and "parking regulations."

Next thing you know, the Society WhatsApp Group explodes:

Mrs. Kapoor (Block C): "New rules say visitors can park! Are we running a dharamshala now?"

Mr. Iyer (Treasurer): “Draft rule 5.3 says ‘all residents shall be treated equally’. So why is Mr. Gupta allowed to have three balconies and I get one?"

Resident 54 (Silently lurking since 2018): [emerges to drop a meme of a burning society gate]

Act 2: The Parking Pandemonium

One of the most controversial draft rules? Shared parking allocation. The rule suggests "rotational or fair distribution of parking spots."

Reaction:

Mr. Singh (Has 4 cars): “I didn’t bribe the builder and buy the flat closest to the gate so I could walk from Zone Z every day!”

Single 22-year-old tenant (Rents a 1BHK): “Can I park my bike where the society keeps that broken Diwali decoration?”

Mrs. D’Souza (Environment Secretary): “Actually, we should just convert the parking lot into a butterfly garden.”

Zoom call breaks into chaos. Dog barks again.

Act 3: Transparency = Trouble?

Draft Rule: Societies must publish financial records publicly every quarter.

Mr. Bhatia (President for 14 years): visibly sweating “By public, do they mean… people can actually read them?”

Ms. Roy (Retired CA): “I’ve been asking for audited accounts since 2017. The last financial report was hand-written on a napkin during Holi.”

The Secretary (wakes up suddenly): “Let’s form a sub-committee to delay transparency until further notice.”

Act 4: The Tenant Rebellion

Draft rule says tenants must be treated as residents and not second-class citizens.

Cue gasps.

Mrs. Verma (Loves rules, hates people): “But if we let tenants use the gym, what next? The pool? The society’s WhatsApp group?”

Tenant Raj (Has lived there for 5 years): “We pay the same maintenance as everyone else. Also, I fixed the water pump last week when no one else would.”

Mrs. Verma: “That was you? You’re welcome to the gym then, beta.”

Act 5: The Grand Finale – Feedback Submission

The Society finally decides to submit its feedback to the authorities.

Feedback Email Drafted (but never sent):

“We welcome the new draft rules. But also reject 82% of them. Especially:

  • Anything involving change

  • Anything involving giving up our personal power

  • And definitely anything that allows other people to use our terrace on Sundays.

Yours rebelliously,
RWA Supreme Council (Founder Lifetime Members)"

Epilogue:

After three weeks, a revised draft is issued.

Mr. Sharma suggests a “Feedback on Feedback” session. Mrs. Kapoor books the clubhouse for an “Emergency Chai & Charcha” evening. And the society WhatsApp group is now 372 messages deep in a debate about whether the new rules allow dogs in lifts.

The real draft rule? In housing societies, democracy is alive, noisy, and probably wearing a nightie at 2 PM shouting "WHO LEFT THE TAP ON?"

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