This was said during a public hearing meeting that was held in the HUDA office, Sector 6, Panchkula, today. This was in compliance of the orders passed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court recently that a personal hearing be given to the petitioners, Forum for Common Cause, regarding the issue.

“As of now, the cooperative group housing societies are also included in the Haryana Apartments Act and so a speaking order in that regards would soon be passed by us. But we would also simultaneously approach the Haryana Government to make some amendments in the Act so that the original owners of the flats could be exempted from getting their flats registered under the Act,” said T C Gupta, Chief Administrator, HUDA. It was also added that the other members of the cooperative societies would have to get their flats registered according to the provisions of the Act.

Deepak Rai Walia, the president of Forum for Common Cause, said, “It was welcome news as this would help in bringing great relief to a large number of flat owners of the area. The Haryana Apartments Act was notified on November 10, 1997, and it is only after that that the legal application of the Act can begin. Therefore, ideally all members of the cooperative societies till 1997 would be counted as original members of the societies.”