A section of residents from Sector 135, Noida, has requested the Deputy Registrar, Meerut, the district magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar and the city magistrate of Noida to stall RWA elections scheduled on February 18.
Their reason: Section 144 of the CrPC, which prohibits the assembly of five or more people at a public place, has been imposed on the state in the wake of the forthcoming assembly elections — how then are RWA elections possible?
Sanjay Goel, a resident of Sector 135, told City Spidey that the magistrate of Noida had passed the order to stop the RWA elections in the sector. But, he added, "The contenders in the elections are not ready to follow the orders.”
In the letter to the Deputy Registrar, Meerut, Goel wrote that tenants were being ignored in the election process and that they were being denied the right to either contest the elections or cast their votes — and this was against the basic bylaws of the society.
However, NN Gupta, one of the appointed election officers and also a resident of Sector 135, said, “The term of the previous RWA expired in October last year, and fresh elections are due now. It is indeed the residents’ demand.”
Gupta also said that they had received a letter from the city magistrate that said that peace should be maintained throughout the election process, and that any unlawful activity be reported to the police. He added, “The elections will take place under the watch of the office bearers of FONRWA, or Federation of Noida Residents’ Welfare Association.”
Speaking on the issue of the voting rights of the tenants, Gupta said, “Those living in the society for the past two years or more are eligible to vote. Any tenant who wishes to contest the RWA elections must also be a resident of this sector two years or more. The applicant also needs to give a written undertaking that he/she will not leave the sector for another two years, which is also the term period for the elected RWA.”
