The trend
for the high rise buildings in Bangalore started during late eighties when the
builders from Bombay launched building projects in Bangalore. The attraction
was rapid growth of Bangalore between 1971-81 which was the highest in Asia in
addition to the salubrious climate, beauty, (this is almost lost today) cheaper
land, and higher F.A.R. permissible compared to Bombay and the hospitable
citizens of Bangalore. Rahejas, Ranka, embassy, mittal, Bhaktavar are some of the builders who started their activities in Bangalore during that time. Local
entrepreneurs also started building activity like: Prestige, India Builders and
others. Their intention was to make most of the situation.
Due to
enormous potential for building activity, hundreds of apartments and
considerable number of commercial complexes had come up in Bangalore. Apartment
living was new to Bangalore. Those who lived in flats were mostly outsiders.
Local people even now like to have independent houses.To enable
regulation of apartments, the following two acts were passed in Karnataka on
the lines of Mumbai acts:
1.Karnataka ownership Act, 1972.
2.Karnataka
Ownership flats Act,1972.
Even now majority of the apartment dwellers are not
aware of these acts, and rules issued under these acts, which came into force
from 2.04.1975. No one is following these ACTS.
In
Bangalore the Co-operative Housing Societies or the Owners Associations are
being followed, the choice being left to the group of buyers of flats.
Most of the
Co-operative societies were registered under the Co- operative Societies Act.Associations
are registered under the Karnataka Societies Registration Act, 1960. In Mumbai,
a group of persons form a housing society, mobilize funds, purchase land, build apartment, live in the apartment and maintain the building. Where as in
Bangalore, builders build the apartment sell the flats during construction and
later.
The buyers
form apartment Housing Society / Owners association for only maintenance
purposes. The builders register the flats in favour of the buyers. Later
transaction is between the owner of the flat and the subsequent buyer. The
seller relinquishes his membership in the Society/ Association and the buyers
become a member of the Society/Association.
Bye laws:
After
registration, the Apartment Society frames its byelaws and gets it approved
from the Co-operative Department or under society act. The byelaws should be in
accordance with the Act and provisions. The byelaws provide for election of
Committee and office bearers for management of the society Elections to the
Committee in case of housing Co-op Society are conducted by the Returning
Officer appointed by the Co-operative Department as per procedure. In the case
of Association or Society, the General Body elects the office bearers.
Byelaws
provides for membership, General Body Meeting, Special General Body Meeting.Committee,
powers of the committee, accounts & audit and in general management of the
Housing Society or Association. The Department of Co-operative approves the
Byelaws and returns to the Society for following the provisions.In case of
an Association, the Registrar of Societies along with the Memorandum approves
Rules and Regulations of the Owners Association.
Services Rendered:
The
services provided by the society/ Association are water supply, general
lighting, lifts, security, cleaning of the premises, garbage removal,
gardening, colour washing, periodical painting, civil works repairs, water
supply and drainage repairs, electrical repairs etc. As there is power shortage
in the state with power cut twice a day, generator service for lift, common
area lighting, and pumping of water is provided in some buildings.
Intercom
facilities from the flats to the security area is also provided in some
buildings, club, health club, swimming pool, dish antenna & library
facilities are provided in luxury apartments. Some societies also organize
social activities for the benefit of residents.
PERSONNEL FOR MAINTENANCE SERVICES:
a. Security: Security arrangements are made
through a security agency or by appointing security personnel directly by the Society! Association. Two or Three shifts are arranged to the convenience.The
security personnel are also entrusted with the water pumping duties to maintain
water supply through out the day from borewell and B.W.S.S.B. water,
responsibility of common area lighting, reporting in case of lift problem etc.,
is also entrusted to the security-men. Collection of milk at security gate is also
entrusted to the securitymen. For additional income, the security men clean the
vehicles of the occupants during their off period. They also get tips when they
help the occupants for odd jobs. Occupants help useful security men with food,
clothes, tips loan etc. the security men are also used to send messages and
letters by the occupants.
b. Sweeper: Sweeper is entrusted with removal
of garbage baskets from the doors of flats, which are dumped on the roadside
garbage bins, or other arrangement to clean the garbage. They sweep the common
area and are supposed to maintain the premises clean. They are also useful for
odd jobs of the occupants.
c. Gardeners: Gardeners maintain the plants and
lawn where garden is maintained. In case of only a few plants frequent
supervision by a gardener or watering of plants by the sweeper is arranged.
d. Plumber/Electrician: The services of a plumber are
arranged in some apartments! complexes for one or two hours fixed according to
convenience.
He will
help in replacement of washers in taps and stoppage of minor leaks.
Similarly
services of an electrician, or a plumber-cum- electrician service is arranged.
e. Secretary / Manager: A paid Secretary in case of an
apartment Society / or a Manager in case of commercial complexes is employed.
His duty is to send maintenance bills to the occupants, collect maintenance
charges, maintain accounts, supervise the work of security men, sweeper, gardener,
plumber, and electrician and provide liaison between the occupants and the
office bearers. He will also arrange for maintenance repairs and replacements.
He will assist in the conduct of meetings, payment of water and electricity
bills, and correspondence. Good maintenance depends of an effective and useful
Secretary / Manager.
Maintenance Charges:
Maintenance
charges fixed to cover the routine charges like salaries, water and electricity
bills, minor repairs, correspondence, overheads, and extra amount to maintain a
development fund to meet major repairs like replacement of motors and pumps,
water supply and drainage arrangement, replacement of borewell pipes,
replacement of water proof course, replacing electrical wiring system etc.
Fixation of maintenance subject, which attracts arguments between the office
bearers and the occupants. In some cases additional resources are generated by
leasing additional parking spaces, advertisement hoardings, S.T.D. booths etc.
transfer or N.O.C fee is also collected whenever, there is resale of flat office on its / shops.
Good
management enables availability of adequate funds of good maintenance and major
repairs. Occupants should elect service minded officer bearers in their own
interest for good facilities and living environment.
Absentee
land lords: Normally 10% or more flats in apartments of Bangalore are owned by
outsiders from Bombay, Cal-cutta, Hyderabad and other places in India as well
as from abroad. The percentage being more in the apartments of Cantonment,
Central areas, and Bangalore south. Nowadays apartment constructions has spread
all over Bangalore including out skirts. The problem with the absentee land
lords is that regular payment of maintenance charges is not possible and
payments is arranged at their convenience. This affects regular income of the
Society / Association.
Another
problem in such cases is that if water or sullage is leaking in those flats,
getting it repaired to avoid loss of water or dampness is difficult. Absentee
land lords also affect quorum in meetings of the Society / Association.
Non-residential uses in apartments:
In the byelaws of the Society /
Association non-residential uses are prohibited to see that Municipal
Corporation and B.D.A. Acts are not violated. But invariably in apartments
located in central areas and important localities non-residential uses are
existing and such uses increase from time to time. Doctor's clinic, advocate's
offices, travel agencies, company offices etc., are normally observed in
apartments. Society / Association should discourage such non residential uses
as it affects security & peaceful residential nature of the apartment.
The
Corporation officials also assess such flats to collect more house tax and such
uses get regularized. This affects the other flat owners as rental value is
increased in such apartments and owner occupants are forced to pay more taxes.Social
problem is another problem in case of families with young daughters when
non-residential uses are permitted.
Water supply Problems:
Residential apartments require large
quantity of water for domestic purposes. While one borewell is compulsory more
than one borewell are located depending on the number of flats or yield of the
borewell.In the
beginning separate sump tanks, separate motor & pump, separate overhead
tank and separate pipes for distribution are arranged to separate B.W.S.S.B.
water and borewell water. But, later due to lazy security men and inactive
office bearers separate water supply is not continued. Consequently, in some
apartments a tap is provided near the pump room to collect only drinking water
required by some occupants.
The sump
tanks and overhead tanks are to be got cleaned frequently to supply safe and
pure water. But very rarely this is being done forcing occupants to use aqua
guards or other water purifiers for drinking and cooking water requirements.Like
electricity arrangement where meter and main switches are provided separately
for each flat, for water supply separate control values and meters are not
provided. Delays by occupants to get water leakage repaired or leakage in
locked flats will affect other occupants by higher water bills and dampness in
adjoining or lower flats. If roof in a lower flat is damp due to leakage in the
upper floor flat, the lower flat occupant has to get the same repaired at his
cost.
This is the
practice observed in apartments. If car parking floor roof is damp the society/
Association has to get the repairs done as otherwise the Car parking area will
be affected due to dripping of water, dirty appearance and damages to
electrical wiring in the car parking area roof. As the water supply and
drainage pipe arrangements are complicated, dampness in the roof and walls
affecting colour washing and built in furniture is a common problem in most of
the apartments.
Due to long
hours of pumping, large quantity of water required by number of flats, the
motors, pumps, and foot valve get affected and frequent costly repairs become
necessary. Maintaining water supply with spare pumping set or by requesting
occupants to collect water from ground levels taps becomes necessary quite
often.
Electricity:
Electricity
room is located in the basement!ground floor of apartment! commercial
complexes. As large numbers of wires are connected to the electric room; safe
meter board with sufficient clearance from meter and main switch system of each
flat is necessary for safety from short circuits.The K.E.B.
meter reader issues bills according to meter numbers.The Secretary/Manager has
to distribute the bills indicating flat number in each bill. Sometimes due to
oversight wrong flat numbers are written on the bills, which will result in
arguments with affected flat owners.
Whenever
tube lights and bulbs are fused quick replacements has to be arranged to avoid
objection from occupants. It is necessary to have an arrangement to get an
electrician at short notice. In some apartments/ complexes services of plumber-
cum- electrician for one or two hours in a day is arranged to attend to minor
electrical problems in the flat or common areas.
Lifts:
The
occupants expect a good lift service in multistory buildings as they do not
like climbing the stairs when lifts are not working especially by aged and
obese persons. In apartments and busy complexes we observe use of lifts
continuously. In view of power shortage only one lift is allowed to be used
alternatively after few days. Older busy lifts give trouble frequently. Service
contract for lift service is a must. Lift companies maintain their own brand
oflifts and provide parts only if they maintain. There are a few service
contractors who maintain any brand oflift. How they manage to get parts from
companies is not understood. Their secret understanding with lift company
officials is suspected.
The private
lift contractors charge from Rs.5S0/- to Rs.800/- per lift per month depending
on service only or including minor parts. Their mechanics attend to repairs
when called or once/ twice in a month for check up. Established general lift
contractors maintain lifts of more than 100 buildings. When there is no repair
during a month their mechanic mayor may not visit to check up. But promptly
claim the bill. As result of this, in some buildings the office bearers insist
obtaining signatures of Manager/any occupant as proof of their visit.
Service
contractors having covert deals with the Secretary/Manager/ Security man are
common.The lift
service contractors make easy money by maintaining two or three mechanics
paying about Rs.ISOO/- to Rs.2S00/- p.m. This business does not require
investments. But good income is possible.
In addition
to this they also make false claims. As there is heavy demand for service
contracts and only a few are in the field, some of the lift contractors dictate
terms and suddenly stop lift by removing fuse or any other part to create
inconvenience if their demands are not met. Some secretaries collude
with them. The office bearers of the Society/Association should be vigilant
about this matter.
Gardening:
Whether
there is enough space or not landscaping/indoor plants in common areas is
necessary to beautify the premises to avoid dull concrete surfaces. Full time
Gardener in case of adequate area/plants or part time/additional duty to
supervision by gardeners are to be arranged according to the requirements.
For more details,
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