The BMC is going through kind of a culture war. The latter is reflected in discussions on whether cooperative housing societies and other builders should sell flats on grounds of caste, religion or food preferences.
The civic body has just passed a resolution preventing all builders from selling flats on narrow considerations. There have been a number of instances where cooperative housing societies and other builders have refused to give flats to the non-vegetarian buyers, for example.
Interestingly, while the BJP opposed the resolution all other parties including Shiv Sena, Congress and SP supported it.
Sources say the resolution, even if adopted, may face difficulties from the BJP state government.
It is worth mentioning that the Supreme Court in 2005 on a petition by a Zoroastrian cooperative housing society upheld a bye-law that allowed rent or sale of flats only to members of a particular religion or community. The ruling has since been used as the yardstick in dealing with most community-based cooperative housing disputes.
According to experts, only changes in the cooperative societies Act and other relevant Acts could offer a solution to the problem. Commentators have, however, described builders’ refusal to give flats to those practicing non-vegetarianism a Neanderthal outlook.