Pune: The Maharashtra State Co-operative Housing and Apartment Federation has sought a series of changes to the state govt’s draft model bylaws, 2026. The federation is demanding clearer provisions on the powers, duties, and accountability of administrators and authorised officers, as well as voting and electoral rights, parking, maintenance, recovery of dues, redevelopment, transfer of flats, and membership. It has also requested that the proposed bylaws be aligned with RERA and the latest Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act and Rules.The cooperation department received more than 700 emails containing suggestions and objections to the draft, which proposes a comprehensive overhaul of the existing framework governing cooperative housing societies. The window for submitting suggestions was open till Aug 27.The state federation, along with various district federations, has suggested several refinements before the bye-laws are finalised. The objective is to make the rules more practical and reduce recurring disputes between members and societies over day-to-day administration.Adv Shreeprasad M Parab, expert director, Maharashtra State Co-operative Housing and Apartment Federation Limited, stated that the proposed model bylaws, 2026, were a welcome and much-needed exercise to bring the governance of cooperative housing societies in tune with the changing legal and administrative framework. Officials from the state cooperation department said they are currently evaluating the suggestions received from various housing federation members.While the roles, powers, and responsibilities of the chairman, secretary, treasurer, and managing committee have been substantially defined, Parab noted that there is also a need to clearly prescribe the powers, duties, responsibilities, and accountability of an administrator or authorised officer appointed to manage a society’s affairs.The federation stated that certain provisions require fine-tuning and alignment with subsequent statutory developments, particularly RERA and the newly introduced framework under the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act and Rules.Regarding practical procedures, the federation suggested that in cases involving the issuance of a duplicate share certificate, an appropriate complaint to the police should be sufficient, rather than insisting on a specific form of police record, such as a non-cognizable (NC) report.“Similarly, where a member has legally changed his or her name through publication in the Official gazette, the change should merely be recorded in the society’s records and should not be treated as a transfer of membership or interest,” said another member of the federation.The federation also emphasised that the bylaws should reflect the current legal position concerning the probate of a will and clearly define the voting and electoral rights of different categories of members.Further, it has sought a review of parking provisions in light of the Maharashtra Ownership Flats Act (MOFA), RERA, and the legal framework governing common areas. The federation is pushing for clearer parking rights to avoid frequent disputes between members and society management.Housing federations and cooperative housing society representatives have also raised concerns over provisions concerning maintenance and recovery of dues, flat transfers, membership, redevelopment decisions, and the functioning of managing committees. They have called for greater clarity on the responsibilities of managing committees and the role of members in key decisions that affect the community.The draft bye-laws also aim to address emerging issues, including digital communication, electric vehicle (EV) charging, structural safety, and grievance redressal. Representatives have requested that these provisions be made clear and practical for implementation.Apart from these substantive issues, the federation has called for necessary clerical, drafting, and cross-referencing corrections within the draft. Federation members believe the final model bylaws should emerge as a clear, practical, and legally harmonious framework capable of reducing ambiguity and disputes in the daily administration of cooperative housing societies.
