RESPONSIBILITIES AND LIMITATIONS OF THE RESIDENT WELFARE ASSOCIATIONS (RWA) IN INDIA.

Abstract

A Resident Welfare Association (RWA) is a Non-governmental organization representing the interests of the residents of a specific urban or semi-urban locality in India. Resident Welfare Association is not an official government body, and illegal housing localities in India can form RWAs to represent citizen interests. Each residential colony has its own resident welfare association (RWA). Its primary objective is to work toward the common good of all residents in a given area, as the name suggests. At the same time, it is governed by roles and responsibilities to ensure its efficient operation. RWAs are typically registered under cooperative societies acts; it requires groups to have a minimum of fifteen members from a given area, or under the Apartment Owners Act of the state as an "association of apartment owners" or under Societies Registration Act (central Act or state Act), it needs minimum ten members. RWAs are being created in any apartment for better coordination, living style, and harmony among the residents. Sustain social connection is always a priority but not at the cost of discipline. Due to various reasons, the clubs and special interest groups sometimes create problems for the normal functioning of the RWAs. Many issues and conflicts are reported due to the absence of the basic standard operating system of the RWA governance. The Residents Welfare Association of the high-rise buildings of the smart cities is evolving, and there is no clear-cut guideline for the RWA governance from the government. So it is essential to conduct a deep study for the effective functioning of the Residents Welfare Association in India. The essence of the study is to identify the roles, responsibilities, limitations, and challenges of the Residents Welfare Association in India.