Maharashtra govt’s proposal to set up a housing authority with quasi-judicial powers to oversee affairs of cooperative societies has provoked legal experts into saying this will expose society members to judicial decisions not based on sufficient legal knowledge, reports Times of India.
The govt committee recommending the creation of a housing authority has suggested amending the Maharashtra Cooperative Society Act 1960 to widen its scope to deal with housing-related issues with the setting up of an independent authority.
The state has around 95,000 housing societies, of which 25,000-odd are located in Mumbai and its suburbs.
The panel has suggested that Authority of Housing Societies be formed to redress grievances of housing societies so that members don’t need to move cooperative or civic courts.
A source close to housing societies is quoted saying people should have the right to move court.
Every year, around 6,000 cases are filed in various cooperative courts in Mumbai.