Mumbai: The Divisional Joint Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Mumbai, dismissed a plea filed by a housing society in Wadala and paved the way for its member to install private electric vehicle (EV) chargers in their parking spaces. In a recent ruling uploaded on Friday, Bombay High Court Justices Girish Kulkarni and Advait Sethna also directed the state and civic authorities to “finalise the draft conditions for installation of charging stations to be installed in cooperative societies for charging electric vehicles, expeditiously and on priority for implementation.”
Hemant Kumar, a member of the society, said he was denied a No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Managing Committee (MC) of Ajmera Zeon Co-operative Housing Society Ltd, despite submitting a compliant application under the Nov 2022 circular issued by State Co-operative Commissioner and Registrar, Co-operative Organisation, Pune.
Last Dec, the assistant registrar of the cooperative department directed the society to issue an NOC for the installation of Electronic Vehicle Charging (EV Charger). The housing society, through its secretary, went in appeal before the divisional commissioner. Its lawyer, Tejas Bhat, argued that the Dec order was passed without issuing the society a notice or hearing the society, thus violating principles of natural justice. It also violated the fire safety guidelines of the fire brigade, which barred EV points in automated car parking towers, puzzle, and basement car parking, which the society was following.
Advocate Darshan Furia, for Kumar, argued that the society denied him the NOC based on its “erroneous understanding of the fire safety guidelines for EV charging stations.” He said the resident’s car parking was on a manual ramp on podium 5, which is not automated, thus, under fire safety norms, not disallowed from having an EV charging point.
Shahaji Patil, the divisional joint registrar of cooperative societies, Mumbai, in his Jan 30 order, said under new fire guidelines, the society ought to have provided Kumar with the NOC to install the EV charging point and dismissed the housing society’s challenge.
In another case, in a plea filed by a Carmichael Road resident, Amit Dholakia, raising the “pressing contemporary concerns” over adequate infrastructure to install e-charging for electric vehicles, the HC said there is a positive impact of such electric vehicles in reducing vehicular pollution, and directed registrar of co-op societies to circulate finalised norms to the societies and ensure compliance.
