The RWA – The Residents Welfare or the Hellfire Association

Ever since mankind was exposed to the gated community concept, it was also introduced to the RWA concept, or the Residents’ Welfare Association. The RWA is a body of the residents, by the residents, and for the residents. It is an elected body very similar to our elected government. The only difference is that while the government is all-powerful with a whole lot of privileges, the RWA is a powerless body with no privileges at all.

However, there are some similarities between the elected bodies. If they take certain steps that benefits its citizens or members, they get a fair share of kudos. On the other hand, if they take certain steps like hiking the cost of petrol or increasing the monthly maintenance cost, they both come under fire, just like an attack from a hellfire missile. While the government can still withstand this wave of criticism, murmurs about a regime change start for the RWA.

The creation of RWA

The RWA is a body created to take care of the day-to-day needs of the society members. From the security of the residential complex to the maintenance of the lift. From maintaining the aesthetic look of the society to garbage collection, it takes care of all the needs of the society.

The government generates its funds from central and state taxes (Income tax, GST, and state taxes). The funds for the RWA for taking care of maintenance services come from the monthly or quarterly contributions from the residents staying in the society. The only difference is that in the case of the government, you can’t escape the taxman, but in the case of the RWA, you just need to stop contributing on some pretext or other.

The Right wing and the Left wing

The political spectrum of any country today has the right wing and the left wing. Similarly, the RWA of any residential country today has the libertarians and the social democrats. The libertarians are more open to the development of society. The priority for them is maintenance of the green areas, beautification of the society, road repair, and power backup, etc. On the other hand, social democrats have a different set of priorities. They believe in creating a medical facility in the complex for senior citizens, a library for the residents, organizing Navratri festivities in the society, etc.

The problem starts when each of the groups starts opposing the other group’s ideas. The pro-development group may be in favour of having a Diwali mela or a rain dance during Holi with a DJ. The left wing may find all these expenditures unnecessary as it drains the society’s funds. Instead, the same funds could be used to have a medical camp or to renovate the library.

The elected representatives of the RWA

In a span of 2-3 years, the elections for the RWA body take place. It’s a dual-party fight. On one hand, we have the incumbent members of the RWA. On the other hand, we have a completely new set of residents fighting elections to bring about a change. The new faces are full of energy and want to work on all those issues that the incumbent lot failed to work on. The incumbent lot believes they have done enough in their existing tenure, and their sheer goodwill will bring them to power once again.

The campaigning is more through word of mouth or by addressing the residents in Central Park. A samosa party with a hot cup of tea on a Sunday morning is used as bait to get residents out of their comfort zone and to come and vote. Senior citizens of the complex are the ones who are the most eager to attend such meetings and vote. The younger lot shows their indifference and remains confined to their homes. Sunday is a day when they want to destress. They don’t want to sacrifice their Sunday morning sleep over some basic petty issues like Bijli-paani-security facing their society.

The issues facing society

Bijli,paani, and security are the three most important issues facing any residential society. Whatever the sanctioned electricity load of the society, it seems to suffice only 80% of the requirement. Houses with 5KW sanctioned load have installed 4 AC” s at home, while those with 7 KW have 6.

Water is another issue that leads to half the problems of the complex. When it is in shortage residents complain about not getting enough to meet their basic requirements. On the other hand, when the society gets flooded with water due to excessive rains, there is a demand for creating a new stormwater drain or a water harvesting system.

Despite having a well-managed security system in place, half the residents are not happy. There are complaints of unwanted courier guys entering the complex. Residents are perturbed by the vehicles racing on the road, stray dogs running after the kids, and Kaamwali bai. The poor guys in blue uniforms working 12 hours in a shift are unable to please everyone. There are times when the construction work in the neighbourhood carries on beyond the time limits, and the guards get all the blame for not keeping it in check.

The RWA

Keeping all residents happy is a challenge for the RWA (Resident Welfare Association). The President and the Secretary are sitting on the “Game of Thrones” made of Iron swords. Every action of theirs, whether financial (like getting approval for painting the society) or non-financial (like organizing a Diwali Mela), is viewed under a microscope.

There are three sets of residents whom we can classify under the following categories:

1. The Peaceful Soul
2. The Indifferent Soul
3. The Disturbed Soul

The Peaceful Soul – People falling in this category believe in Karma and know that performing an RWA job is not an easy one. They are mostly satisfied with the way the current RWA is performing. But they do have some local-level demands. Issues like a plumber/electrician not attending to their complaints to be resolved or remedial measures for speeding vehicles in the society complex, etc.

The Indifferent Soul – those who are more followers than leaders. Whether there is a security issue or a parking issue, you will seldom hear their voice. They neither believe in protesting nor express their opinion.

The Disturbed Soul – these people are the most active in the society WhatsApp group. If the RWA has mandated a particular number of cars per flat for free parking, this category will question why this number and why not a higher number, as every flat has at least 2-3 cars. If the RWA has fixed a limit on the electricity consumption per flat, keeping in mind the grid power available, the members of this group will question how this KW ceiling number was arrived at.

The Unsolicited Advice

The Economist magazine dated 31^st May 2026 carried an article on the Indian Uncles titled “India’s Republic of Uncles”. The article talks about the unsolicited advice given by the Indian Uncles who have reached middle age and believe that they have mastered the knowledge in every field. Whether it is career counselling or health tips, politics or parenting, they have a solution for every problem.

In a similar fashion, every society has a WhatsApp group that is full of such unsolicited advice. Every morning, one of the residents will start a topic. It can be the safety of the elderly and children from fast-moving vehicles or creating an exclusive play area in the society for kids to play outdoor games, etc. The discussions will start with some productive suggestions, but slowly take the form of ugly arguments leading nowhere. But somewhere within this chaos is hidden a suggestion that can resolve the issues.

As an author, I had a query on an issue related to garbage collection, and so I called the society office. But got a reply that the secretary is busy right now as he is making a list of residents who have not cleared the society’s outstanding.

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