– Lavanya Rathore
“We are not the police. We don’t have the power to ensure that every individual follows the rules, even after repeated reminders,” said Sector 40 RWA President Asok Kumar Sharma, as he expressed his disagreement with the decision to file FIRs against the AOA or the housing association.
His remarks follow a notice issued by the Noida Authority, mandating residents of group housing societies to remove flower pots placed on balcony parapets. The directive, dated May 13, aims to prevent accidents and ensure public safety in residential areas after a recent tragedy in Pune where a child lost their life after a flower pot fell from a balcony.
🚨🚨🚨Residents of high rise buildings should be vigilant and careful while putting flower pots in the balcony.
---Advertisement---In Pune, Maharashtra, a flower pot fell on a child's head from the balcony wall, the child died.pic.twitter.com/M3NRye0Fc9
— Neetu Khandelwal (@T_Investor_) April 28, 2025
According to the notice, if an accident occurs due to flower pots placed on parapets, an FIR will be filed against the concerned flat owner and the Apartment Owners Association (AOA) president. In cases where an AOA does not exist, the builder will be held responsible.
FIR Warning Triggers Objection from RWAs
Though the RWAs welcome the directive issued by the Noida Authority, they are confused about the provision to file FIRs if a society fails to follow the plant pot rule.
Ashok said to News24, “We are not the Police, we don’t have the power to ensure that every individual follows the rule despite us telling them again and again. What we can do is only tell them to comply with the orders, other then that its completely their responsibility, holding AOA or RWA Presidents responsible for others actions seems completely unreasonable to me”.
Proactive Measures by RWAs
When asked about the measures they have taken he said, “It is a sensitive situation, and we have taken all the necessary measures that is under our control, the message has been disseminated in the WhatsApp group. We are also sending our guards to check each house and ensure that everybody follows the orders. This is all we can do from our side.”
He also emphasized the safety risks and said, “The pots should be kept inside the railing and not on the wall or to be hanged on the railing, this might increase the risk of pots falling and causing serious incidents.”
This preventive step has been introduced to avoid potential accidents and promote safer living environments across the city.
