Noida: Now, voting rights for all residents in Jal Vayu Vihar

NOIDA: Around 1,800 “nominal” residents of Jal Vayu Vihar, who did not have voting rights, will now be able to participate in the society’s election after the UP Housing and Development Board (co-operative section) ended the two decade-monopoly of air force and naval officers in the area.
There are a total of 3,697 residents in Jal Vayu Vihar, one of the oldest residential colonies of Noida spread across Sector 21 and 25.
Until recently, about 1,875 residents called “ordinary members” – all serving or retired Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy officers – had voting rights to participate and elect members of the Jal Vayu Vihar Sehkari Awas Samiti (JVSAS), accoriding to its bylaws.
The remaining group of residents, which also included serving or retired Army personnel, were against their “nominal member” status that did not give them the same rights.
On June 2, additional housing commissioner Vinay Kumar Mishra of the UP Housing and Development Board ruled on a 2021 petition and allowed all members of the society to participate in the voting process for JVSAS.
Manjul Thapliyal, a resident of the society and a member of the team that was opposed to the exclusion, said he and his father Col (retd) KN Thapliyal were among those originally allotted a house in Jal Vayu Vihar in 1994, but they were still considered “nominal” members.
“With the latest order, we have managed to restore parity and dignity with the other group of residents,” Thapliyal told TOI on Wednesday. Residents who had last year threatened to stop paying maintenance charges over the issue also welcomed the decision, saying that they were treated as second-class residents in their own society.
“It is the much-awaited direction and a win for all Jal Vayu Vihar residents,” said Umesh Batra, who has been living there for decades. Since 2016, a section of residents has been seeking legal remedies to ensure inclusion in the voting process. In 2021, the group approached the Housing Board over the matter.
On Wednesday, chairman of JVSAS and former air vice-marshal Pradeep Kumar said the Samiti has received the letter to provide voting rights to all society residents and the formality would be completed soon.
“A meeting of the management committee will be called now. After a notice, a meeting of all members will be called and an amendment in the bylaws would be made,” he said.