Pune: Maharashtra Housing Federation on Friday proposed inclusion of electric vehicle (EV) charging norms, a comprehensive framework for self-redevelopment, pet ownership guidelines, in-house dispute resolution mechanisms and digital governance in the state’s revised model cooperative housing society bye-laws, expected to be finalised by the end of this month.Advocate Shreeprasad Parab, expert director of the housing federation, along with other members, submitted the proposals during a meeting with cooperation commissioner Deepak Taware in Mumbai on Friday. The federation’s recommendations would be evaluated before the model bye-laws are finalised.Taware told TOI the revised bye-laws would be framed strictly in line with the recently notified Maharashtra Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Rules, 2026. “The bye-laws, once notified, will ensure greater transparency in the functioning of cooperative housing societies,” he said.Parab said the revision of the model bye-laws would offer an opportunity to modernise the governance of cooperative housing societies in the state. “The newly notified rules have laid down the statutory framework. The bye-laws must provide practical solutions to the societies’ day-to-day administrative, legal and technological challenges,” he said.He said the federation recommended that the revised bye-laws should comprehensively cover not only standalone cooperative housing societies but also layout societies, plot and bungalow societies, township developments and associations of cooperative housing societies functioning as federal bodies. “Our recommendations include provisions related to self-redevelopment, EV charging infrastructure, digital governance, online meetings and e-voting, internal dispute resolution, common amenities and other emerging issues so that societies can function with greater transparency, accountability and efficiency,” Parab said.He said the objective was to minimise avoidable litigation, strengthen democratic governance and equip cooperative housing institutions with a progressive legal framework capable of addressing present and future requirements. The federation urged the government to ensure that the upcoming bye-laws addressed the evolving needs of housing societies and provided greater clarity on issues leading to disputes.Among its key recommendations is the inclusion of EV-ready parking policies, with formal provisions for charging infrastructure and parking norms aligned with the provisions of the Maharashtra Ownership Flats Act and the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act. The federation said uniform rules were needed as electric vehicle adoption accelerated across urban housing societies.It sought a comprehensive legal and procedural framework for redevelopment and self-redevelopment, arguing that societies should be able to undertake redevelopment independently through a transparent process without procedural hurdles. It also recommended model pet ownership guidelines clearly defining the rights and responsibilities of pet owners.The federation proposed creation of in-house dispute resolution mechanisms within housing societies to resolve member grievances, reducing the burden on cooperative courts and the registrar of cooperative societies. It also called for stronger provisions governing common amenities, particularly in large layout and township projects where multiple housing societies share infrastructure such as roads, gardens, clubhouses and utilities. It said clearer norms on the ownership, maintenance and management of such shared facilities would help prevent disputes.
