The RWCS organised the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Sep 10, 2023, at Gangotri Hall, and it could well be the last AGM as the elections are scheduled for Oct 8, 2023.
It began at 10:30 AM with less than 50 people but soon swelled to about 100 people, especially since Club President RK Khosla and his team came (which they have not done in the past years). This gave weight to the rumours that Govind Sharma and RK Khosla had made a deal about the upcoming RWCS and club elections.
This was confirmed by RWCS Govind Sharma himself, who said that a meeting was held on Aug 27 between Mr Khosla and himself, where 70 percent of the issues had been resolved. While addressing, he said that he would continue working towards the betterment of the sector and with the support of Mr Khosla, they will make it the best sector in NOIDA.
Govind Sharma addressed many concerns that were raised by residents on WhatsApp groups, primarily the relaying of sewer lines in B&C blocks. He said 3–4 tenders had been taken out, but no work had started. He has spoken to a NOIDA Authority official who has assured him that the work will start on Sep 20, which happens to be his birthday. He said that it was “…a birthday present from Noida Authority, which I present to the sector.”
Naresh Jain and S Chakravarti invited residents to present their questions. Rajeev Sharma raised the matter of street dogs biting and dog poop littering streets and parks. He also said that the charges for badminton court were too high for residents, who should be charged less than the outside residents. An elderly resident of B-block requested that people with pet dogs should stop their pets from defecating in front of others’ houses. Another asked that someone in his lane keep 15 stray dogs in the house, and this should not be allowed. Another person asked that Gate 3, which closes at 8 p.m., be closed at a later hour and that dogs should be removed from parks.
Girish Aneja made a lot of tongue-in-cheek comments, pointing out that the sewer lines of B&C blocks had been pending for six years. He asked that vendors not be allowed in the early morning and that security be increased in the sector. Asking for street dogs to be regulated, he also pointed out that the web of wires on each electricity pole spoils the look of the sector. He asked that the RWCS be more proactive as a liaison organisation between residents and the Noida Authority.
Taking potshots at Girish Aneja, Atul Gupta praised the team of Govind Sharma, saying that administration is not easy and that RWCS is making efforts. When he was making his speech, he made a few remarks about Club, which made Aneja (who was seated at the back) stand up and question this loudly “Is this the RWCS AGM or Club meet?” Aneja was shouted down by many RWCS members and told to sit down.
Rajender Bhati raised quite a few heckles when he asked that everyone would like to know “what happened in the Aug 27th meeting between Khosla and Sharma and why no one was informed of it. What were the 70% of issues that were sorted out, and why weren’t they sorted out earlier? What are the remaining 30% of issues that were not sorted out?”
PK Gupta took the podium and, in a very angry tone. Highly agitated, he kept pointing to the MC of RWCS, who were seated in front (facing the audience), and said that when it was clear that Club was insulting residents and RWCS, then why did RWCS tie up with Club? He asked that when the club has been known to spend crores on things like a gate and a bar, then why did all RWCS MC members, who are also club members, keep quiet and not raise objections? He kept referring to Samvada, saying that these things had been raised multiple times by Samvada, and asked why RWCS did not listen.
It was also pointed out by a person that for the past many years, the club president and the RWCS president have made it a cycle of fighting, patching up, and fighting again. If a deal has been made, then why have elections? Is it for show only?
In the end, SS Oberoi stepped up to talk, and as he began to address, some commotion happened in the front. It seems that Mr. Madra, who was seated next to Govind Sharma, was angry about something and was muttering under his breath, just loud enough for GS and those seated in the first row to hear him, who, it seems, were giving it back. Suddenly, Mr Sharma stood up and threatened to leave the meeting, and this led to a war of words. As NK Jain and S Chakravarti tried to placate the two, they suddenly declared that the meeting was over and lunch was served. This led to a loud cheer as the congregation broke and people rushed to eat.
As people stood in small groups discussing the happenings, some voices spoke of the urgent need for a third front to come up in the sector to break the monopoly.
