IP Ext: Oriental Enclave dying a slow death

A never-ending dispute among residents of Oriental Enclave, a cooperative group housing society in East Delhi’s IP Extension, has caused the society to be reduced to a shadow of its former self.

The society has been lying in a shambles for several years now and further deteriorating with each passing year. The façade of most buildings in the society have black patches owing to years of unchecked seepage. The plaster has peeled in severalplaces, exposing brickwork underneath. There are plants sprouting from the structure. What were gardens once are now dusty parking lots. The boundary wall is damaged at many places.The windowless managing committee office is deserted, with only spiders and lizards inhabiting it. The society’s security comprises one guard for the day and one for the night.

The residents of the society have been embroiled in a dispute for years. The society has never had an administrative body to take care of its maintenance. Oriental Enclave also hasn’t had a managing committee for two years.

As per the rules, if a society fails to appoint a governing body within three months of its inception, the Delhi Registrar office appoints an administrator to take care of the society’s maintenance and development. In the past two years, in the absence of a resident body, the registrar office had appointed two administrators to look after the society.

“It’s ironic that the society’s condition started to worsen after the administrators were appointed,” said a resident who claims to be one of the first to live in the society back in 1989. “The administrator visits our society once in two months. He has initiated no meeting in the past one year. Dozens have left this society.”

Another resident, on condition of anonymity, told us that many residents did not even pay the maintenance charges. “Currently, the society has a fixed maintenance fee of Rs 1,500 for each flat,” he said. “There are some residents, however, who have always insisted on paying not a penny more than Rs 300, the original maintenance charge. The erstwhile managing committee could do nothing to make them cough up the fee and, gradually, others started doing the same.”

This 70-flat housing complex was established in 1989on land allotted by Delhi Development Authority (DDA). The society was named “Oriental Enclave”due to the fact that most of the residents were from the Oriental Insurance company. At present,however, only 20 of the original flat owners continue to live here.