Amravati Enclave to have fresh polls under new administrator

PANCHKULA: The state registrar of housing societies has annulled the controversial governing-body elections of highprofile Amravati Enclave and ordered re-poll under a new administrator.

The elections had not followed the Haryana Registration and Regulation of Societies (HRRS) Act, 2012. The new administrator has accused the office-bearers of hiding account books from him after a few residents charged them with siphoning the monthly maintenance fee collection. The enclave’s residents include retired bureaucrats, army officers, politicians, and a former chief justice of Punjab and Haryana.


Former office-bearer Sunil Kumar denied the charges of irregularities in the August 26 elections of last year, saying those were held with the approval of the administrator appointed by the district registrar of societies. However, the orders of Haryana registrar of societies Jaideep Kapoor now say: “The elections were not held under the relevant law and proper procedure. The administrator received the list of candidates from the past president of the society instead of from the district registrar, and conducted the elections.”

The poll administrator and returning officer were called for explanation but they did not attend any hearing. The state registrar stated in the orders: “The district registrar has not taken any action on the ambiguity of the (candidates’) list, although he should have done something under the HRRS Act. The elections, thus, are set aside. The district registrar must appoint a new administrator and provide him with a genuine list.”

Former additional director of agriculture Yashpal Verma, who has been appointed new administrator after these orders, told TOI: “The association has not kept account books in office. I asked them to show me these documents but they have not done it, so far. I have reported it to the state registrar. The new elections will come in about two months, after we receive voters’ list, scrutinise it, and consider objections from the residents. Free and fair elections of this highprofile society require independent observers.”

Enclave resident Colonel R P Singh (retd) said: “After a three-year term and one-year extension, the office-bearers had re-elected themselves last year by using a fraudulent voters’ list. All these years, they misused the maintenance fund to which every family of the 800-flat society contributes Rs 1,800 a month.”

Society’s former president Pawan Kumar denied the charges and said he was yet to receive any letter from the new administrator to show account books.