GPA holders urge Ban to protect their right to livelihood

New Delhi

| Thursday, Oct 30 2008 IST

More than 15 lakh people in the Capital who have bought houses on a General Power of Attorney (GPA) basis today urged visiting United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to protect their rights which are being violated by the government due to its discriminatory polices regarding the purchase of property.

GPA is a mode of buying property by circumventing the mandatory official registration norms by which a buyer cannot be an official owner of the property.

According to Mr V N Bali, Convenor of the GPA holders association, people would have to buy property through GPA because there is no provision of open sale and purchase.

Mr Bali said attorney holders living in the co-operative societies have no rights in the affairs of the society even though they constitute 90 per cent of the residents of the society.

Section 94 of the Delhi Co-operative Societies Act which was introduced in the Capital in 2003 stands implemented from 1986 making it mandatory for the co-operative housing societies to wind up its management. According to the act, all the residents should be treated on a par but the Government has not implemented this so far.

Meanwhile, housing societies have handed over essential services to MCD.

The practice being followed now is that the new entrant to a society has to buy property on a GPA basis, pay Rs 50,000 or more to the society as entrance fees. Despite this the entrant cannot enjoy any right of managing the affairs as he cannot participate in the elections of the society. Only 10 per cent original members run the society and pocket the entire booty with the help of the registrar of societies' office employees, Mr Bali alleged.

Strongly condemning the discriminatory procedures adopted against the GPA holders, Mr Bali urged the UN Secretary-General to restore their Rights which are being violated by the Government.