Mid-day Exclusive: Maharashtra invites public suggestions on proposed 2026 housing society bye-laws

Maharashtras proposed Model ByeLaws 2026 for cooperative housing societies have entered the public consultation stage with the Cooperation Department inviting societies and other stakeholders to suggest changes before the draft is finalisedA consultation on the draft was held in Pune on August 13 under Deepak Taware Commissioner of Cooperation Maharashtra State Senior officials of the Cooperation Department and representatives of the Maharashtra State Cooperative Housing Federation attended the meetingThe proposed byelaws seek to replace the 2014 model rules and bring the framework in line with changes in the law and issues that have become increasingly common in housing societies including redevelopment parking disputes EV charging and digital communicationWhat could changeParking gets a detailed frameworkThe draft covers parking allotment vehicle management waiting lists reallotment and visitor parkingRedevelopment gets wider coverageIt recognises redevelopment through private developers as well as selfredevelopment cluster redevelopment federations and apex bodies and other legally permissible methodsEV charging gets its own provisionsThe draft provides for private EV charging facilities including installation and technical requirementsMembersrsquo rights are spelt outThese include participation in general body meetings voting inspection of records obtaining certified copies occupation and enjoyment of flats and grievance redressalSocieties can go digitalNotices and other communications may be sent by hand post email and other legally permissible electronic meansConveyance gets greater emphasisManaging committees would have greater responsibility for initiating conveyance and pursuing deemed conveyance where requiredThe draft also contains provisions covering financial records audits statutory registers emergency preparedness fire and structural risks electrical failures medical emergencies and natural disasters31 forms for routine society workThe draft runs to more than 180 pages and contains around 17 chapters and 192 byelaw numbers It also includes 31 forms covering matters such as membership transfers nominations repairs parking leakage complaints alterations and EV chargingHave your sayThe Cooperation Department has invited suggestions objections and comments from housing societies office bearers federation representatives advocates architects chartered accountants and other stakeholdersDeadline 5 pm August 27Email coophsgmodelbyelawsgmailcomThe draft has been put out on the Maharashtra Cooperation Departmentrsquos website Suggestions received within the deadline will be considered before further action on the draftWhy replace byelawsThe proposed framework takes into account amendments to the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act 1960 including provisions relating to Section 154B the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Rules 2026 and the Real Estate Regulation and Development Act 2016It also seeks to address issues that were less prominent when the 2014 model byelaws were framed mdash particularly selfredevelopment EV infrastructure digital communication structural audits fire safety parking and RERArelated matterslsquoCHS must participatersquoAdvocate Shreeprasad Parab Expert Director Maharashtra State Cooperative Housing Federation welcomed the decision to invite suggestions before finalising the draftldquoHousing societies represent one of the largest forms of democratic selfgovernance in Maharashtra Consequently every stakeholder must actively participate in this processrdquo Parab saidWhat happens nextAugust 27 Deadline for suggestions and objectionsAfter August 27 Submissions will be examined before the draft is finalisedSeptember The department is understood to be targeting publication of the final byelaws in the first week of September However the September timeline needs confirmation from the department before being presented as a firm deadlineMaharashtrarsquos Proposed Model ByeLaws 2026 Set to Reshape Housing Society GovernanceDraft discussed at a highlevel meeting in Pune suggestions and objections invited till August 27 Commissioner of Cooperation Deepak Taware chairs consultation with Federation officebearers and senior officials Final Model ByeLaws expected in the first week of SeptemberVinod Kumar MenonvinodmmiddaycomThe muchawaitedProposed Model ByeLaws 2026for cooperative housing societies in Maharashtra have reached a crucial stage following a highlevel consultation held on August 13 at theConference Meeting Room of the Commissioner Central Building PuneThe meeting was chaired byDeepak Taware Commissioner of Cooperation Maharashtra State Senior officials of the Cooperation Department and representatives of theMaharashtra State Cooperative Housing Federationparticipated in the discussionsAmong those present werethe Chairman of the Maharashtra State Cooperative Housing FederationandBhaskar Mhatre Secretary Maharashtra State Cooperative Housing Federation Also present were theAdditional RegistrarandRajesh Lovekar District Deputy Registrar DDRThe consultation focused on the proposed Model ByeLaws 2026 which seek to update the governance framework for Maharashtrarsquos cooperative housing societies after more than a decade under the Model ByeLaws 2014Key highlights of the proposed byelawsStronger membersrsquo rightsRecognition of membersrsquo rights relating to occupation and enjoyment of flats participation in general body meetings voting inspection of records certified copies and grievance redressalDigital communicationNotices and communications may be issued through hand delivery post email and other legally permissible electronic meansTransparent parking policyA dedicated framework for parking vehicle management allotment waiting lists reallotment and visitor parkingElectric vehicle chargingProvisions covering private EV charging facilities installation compliance and technical requirementsRedevelopment and selfredevelopmentRecognition of redevelopment through developers selfredevelopment cluster redevelopment federations or apex bodies and other legally permissible modesConveyance and deemed conveyanceGreater responsibility on managing committees to initiate conveyance and pursue deemed conveyance where necessaryDisaster management and safetyEmergency response plans covering fire structural risks electrical failures medical emergencies and natural disastersFinancial transparencyDetailed provisions for books of accounts audit reports statutory registers financial statements and other society recordsStandardised formsMore than 30 proposed forms covering membership transfers nominations repairs parking leakage complaints alterations and EV charging facilitiesPublic suggestions and objections invitedThe Commissioner and Registrar Cooperative Societies Maharashtra State have invitedsuggestions objections and commentsfrom housing societies office bearers federation representatives advocates architects chartered accountants and other stakeholdersAs per the official notice written suggestions objections and comments must reach the authoritiesby 5 pm on August 27 2026Submissions can be emailed tocoophsgmodelbyelawsgmailcomThe draft Model ByeLaws are available through the official Maharashtra Cooperation Department websiteswwwsahakaryuktamaharashtragovinandwwwmahasahakarmaharashtragovinAll suggestions and objections received within the stipulated period will be examined before further action is taken towards finalisation of the Model ByeLawsFinalisation expected in SeptemberThe Department is understood to be working towards finalising and publishing theModel ByeLaws 2026 during the first week of September The proposed timeline is significant because most cooperative housing societies are required to hold their Annual General Meetings before September 30If the proposed schedule is maintained societies may therefore get an opportunity to consider and adopt the revised byelaws at their forthcoming AGMsWhy the byelaws are being revisedThe proposed framework takes into account amendments to theMaharashtra Cooperative Societies Act 1960 particularly provisions relating to Section 154B the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Rules 2026 the Real Estate Regulation and Development Act 2016 judicial developments and practical difficulties experienced by housing societies over the past decadeHousing societies today face issues that were far less prominent when the 2014 byelaws were framed including redevelopment selfredevelopment EV charging infrastructure digital communication structural audits fire safety sustainability parking disputes and RERArelated mattersPublic Opinion MattersAdvocate Shreeprasad Parab Expert Director The Maharashtra State Cooperative Housing Federation welcomed the decision to place the draft in the public domain and invite stakeholder participation before its finalisationldquoThe decision of the Commissioner and Registrar to place the draft in the public domain and invite suggestions before its finalization deserves appreciation Housing societies represent one of the largest forms of democratic selfgovernance in Maharashtra Consequently every stakeholder must actively participate in this consultative processrdquosaid ParabParab said the quality of the final document would depend substantially on the suggestions received from practitioners professionals and society membersldquoThe proposed Model ByeLaws 2026 should therefore not be viewed merely as a revision of administrative regulations They represent an attempt to create a governance framework that is more transparent technologically responsive and legally synchronized with contemporary realitiesrdquoHe also emphasised that publication of the byelaws would only be the beginning and that their effective implementation would determine their ultimate successAdded Parab ldquoThe success of these byelaws will not depend solely upon their publication Their true success will depend upon their implementation by more than 125000 cooperative housing societies across MaharashtrardquoParab said the proposed framework represented an important step in keeping the cooperative housing movement aligned with changing legal technological and administrative realitiesldquoThe cooperative movement has always evolved with time The laws governing it must continue to evolve as well The Proposed Model ByeLaws 2026 are a step in that direction The consultation now moves into its public participation phase with housing societies and other stakeholders having an opportunity to submit their suggestions and objections before the revised framework is finalizedrdquo he concludedpopcorn numberAug 13 descDay Commissioner of Cooperation held meeting classDefault