Gurgaon DC intervenes in Essel Towers row between tenants and residents

As the standoff between tenants and residents of Pilot Court in Essel Towers continues, the district administration has intervened to resolve the matter.

Irked by the “arbitrary rules” of Pilot Court RWA for not allowing guests to meet and stay with tenants inside the premises, a group of tenants met deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh and other district officials on Thursday and urged them to end the “enforced discrimination” with tenants.

Singh marked an inquiry to a senior official and has sought a report in the matter.

On August 4, a tussle ensued between the Essel Towers’ Pilot Court society members and the tenants on August 4 as the guests of the tenants were not allowed to enter the premises.

A video of the tussle was also uploaded on social media by one of the tenants and it showed society members using abusive language at the tenants. One of the society members was caught on tape saying the girls are “supporting prostitution”.

“We are looking into the matter. I have asked Vatsal Vashist to carry out the investigation,” Singh said. He said notices might be issued to Essel Towers’ Pilot Court RWA and tenants, if need be.

Vatsal Vashist, CEO, Shree Mata Sheetla Devi Shrine Board, said, “I have received a summons from the DC office on Thursday and will be further issuing them soon.”

Tenants of Pilot Court alleged that the RWA had issued a notice stating that guests of tenants could not enter the building from 10pm to 8am. Also the tenants’ guests are barred from staying there overnight. However, these rules are not applied to house owners, the tenants alleged.

“We met the deputy commissioner and subdivisional magistrate on Thursday. We have been informed that the managing committee is in no position to make such rules at the moment because there has been no general body meeting of the society members and no majority consensus on the issue. This meeting is supposed to be held on August 21. Until then, any such policy is against the law,” said Shivani Singh, a tenant.

Another tenant, Roop Kaur, said, “Single tenants are being targeted. We are staying away from our families and we are being treated badly here. We are adults and no one should control our privacy.”

RWA members said the rules are made for security purposes.

“We have the right to know about the people entering our society,” Captain (retd) SP Sinha, Pilot Court RWA member, said.

The decision to not allow single tenants entertain guests of the opposite gender at Essel Towers was passed in April and it had led to a tussle between RWA and tenants. The Essel Towers have six residential towers and the April order was meant for five towers. Pilot Court was excluded then.

The society was also in the news on April 13 when it issued a notice to the owners asking them to not rent out flats to single tenants. On April 7, the Essel Towers RWA had circulated a notice stating that people of the opposite sex could not visit each other unless they were immediate family members.