Realty strikes the non-veggies

[Oatmeal]

A glimpse into the future?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...?msid=14209616

MUMBAI: It’s a battle between the shakaharis and the carnivores. An increasing number of city housing societies is refusing to allow non-vegetarians to rent or buy flats in their buildings.

The latest to join the list is the 45-storey Shreepati Arcade at Nana Chowk, touted as the tallest residential building in India. The recently completed tower is occupied mainly by people from the Gujarati, Sindhi and Marwari communities.

Although most Sindhis are known to eat non-vegetarian food, the ones who have purchased flats in this building are strict vegetarians, said M.N. Purohit, one of the two promoters of the Rs 100-crore project.

Added R C Chaturvedi of the Shreepati group, which built the complex, “Once the society is formed, the by-laws will prohibit non-vegetarian purchasers.’’

It’s a restriction that’s becoming increasingly noticed in Walkeshwar, Babulnath, Ghatkopar and even areas like Lalbaug and Kalachowki, to which communities that observe vegetarianism have moved.

But, in addition to enforcing religious notions of purity, one property agent explained that vegetarianism sometimes is insisted upon with a view to keeping out members of the minority communities—who generally happen to be meat-eaters.

Experts are divided about the legality of these dietary norms. Advocate Vinod Sampat said it would be illegal for a housing society to frame by-laws barring non-vegetarians from buying flats.

“The Maharashtra Co-operative Society Act stipulates open membership for anyone,’’ he said. Besides, he said, by-laws can easily be challenged in court.

But other experts said that societies are permitted to place reasonable restrictions on residents. “If an overwhelming majority of members is vegetarian, they can pass a law prohibiting anyone from eating meat on the premises,’’ one lawyer said.

But he added, “Of course, you cannot discriminate against anyone on grounds of race, sex, religion, caste or creed.’’

For instance, although the bylaws of Tardeo’s Talmakiwadi co-operative housing society allowed only Kanara Saraswats to live in its buildings, the high court ruled that the society could not prevent a person from another community from buying a flat there.’’

The vegetarian zeal has been known to spill into the streets as well. Last year, BJP MLA from Malabar Hill Mangal Prabhat Lodha led members of the Jain community on a march to a restaurant at Napean Sea Road to protest its decision to serve non-vegetarian food.

[muppetcow]

That's interesting. I don't really agree with it, though. It's discrimination to refuse housing to someone who's not vegetarian. I can see if it was a co-operative living center with shared kitchens and things, but to keep someone from renting an apt. b/c of their diet is a bit too exclusionary for me.

[mountainvegan]

I agree with it, since it's a society to which membership is voluntary and it is arguably discriminating only against certain behavior which some people find repugnant.

[Oatmeal]

muppet - not if you are pro AR and or believe that it's wrong to kill animals. I for instance accept that right now it's the norm to kill and eat animals, but I hope that one day it will be frowned upon and illegal.

So I agree with them very much, but I see that currently, it may be baseless legally.

[mountainvegan]

Good point, Oatmeal. If killing and eating animals was as frowned upon as smoking a marijuana cigarette in the U.S., you bet it would be legal to keep people from doing it. Laws merely reflect a society's social and cultural norms of behavior.

[Telly]

What an interesting concept... I agree that discriminating on any basis is wrong; I think we can all relate to the need to be tolerant of the views of others since I'm sure all of us have been pre-judged and/or discriminated against ourselves at some point in our lives. But on the other hand I feel like building a house there myself...lol.

[Lothar M Kirsch]

Flat and meat. It´s pretty much the same as hotel room and smoking. These are both repugnant behaviours. As much as you shield non-smokers from the stench od smoke, let them shield vegetarians from the stench of meat, burning carcasses, or rotting meat.

[lighthouse25]

My apartment manager has been giving me a 22% discount off my rent since he found out that i was vegitarian!

Yeah it is a little bias, but with the savings I just by more veggies

[mountainvegan]

Originally posted by lighthouse25
My apartment manager has been giving me a 22% discount off my rent since he found out that i was vegitarian!

Yeah it is a little bias, but with the savings I just by more veggies

That's awesome!

[chiaraluna]

Originally posted by lighthouse25
My apartment manager has been giving me a 22% discount off my rent since he found out that i was vegitarian!

Yeah it is a little bias, but with the savings I just by more veggies

::jealousy::

That's awesome! I could definitely live with that kind of bias.

I do think that any kind of discrimination is wrong, though -- so I don't agree with the housing situation.