Haryana: RWAs ask for a rethink on order to keep gates open
GURUGRAM: The residents’ welfare associations of HSVP sectors have written to the HSVP administrator, seeking her intervention in the formulation of a “uniform and acceptable” policy for gates in the colonies.
This comes after the HSVP recently issued a notice to the sector RWAs, directing them to keep all the main colony gates open, especially during the daytime, and at least one gate open 24X7 with a guard on duty. Moreover, the RWAs were asked to either remove all gates on the internal roads or keep them open round-the-clock.
In their letter to HSVP administrator Jaspreet Kaur on Saturday, the RWAs have expressed their inability to follow the directions as they “don’t have the means to hire security as the residents’ bodies of the plotted colonies are not allowed to charge maintenance from the residents”.
HSVP administrator Jaspreet Kaur could not be contacted.
According to the HSVP rules, all gates should remain open from 5am to 11pm in summer (March 1 to October 30) and from 6am to 10pm in winter (November 1 and February 28).
Moreover, each RWA is also supposed to nominate two nodal officers, who will have the keys to the locks of gates, and their names and contact details will be displayed at the entrance so that they can be contacted in case of an emergency.
The RWAs, under the banner of Residents’ Welfare Council, have urged the HSVP administrator to formulate a uniform policy for the city and call a joint meeting of sector RWAs, the MCG, the GMDA and Gurugram police.
Lalit Suraj Bhola, general secretary of Sector 9A RWA, said, “Unlike private builder colonies, we are not authorised to take maintenance charges or raise any bill and we have no resources to hire guards. HSVP must take these facts into account before coming up with policies which may prove counterproductive in terms of security of residents.”
“In fact, police advise RWAs to install gates for maintaining law and order. The HSVP should either provide funds to manage gates or pay for guards,” he added.
The RWAs also stressed upon constructing boundary walls around the sectors as anti-social elements take advantage of an open access. RK Yadav, RWA president of Sector 46, said, “We have been raising the issue of boundary walls for a long time but to no avail. There have been several instances of vehicle theft, burglary and chain snatching.”
Malkhan Singh, RWA president of Sector 23A, said, “Most of the gates are not installed by the RWAs but the residents themselves, who live in the lane or pocket, for their security or convenience. Neither we can fight with residents and make them open gates nor have means to hire guards. Such a directive is not possible to implement on the ground.”