About Us
Services Housing Cooperative Society Ltd., Ashoknagar, Ranchi — Regd. No. 20/R, registered under the Bihar Cooperative Society Act, 1935.
Section 1
How the Society Came Into Being
Its Inception
With India achieving independence, government came to mean service to people and an engine of their development. Being the summer capital city of Bihar, Ranchi became an important seat of this governmental expansion, and government servants posted there in growing numbers soon found adequate housing very hard to come by.
Some senior civil servants of undivided Bihar took concrete initiatives in the wake of these hardships. This led to the creation of a housing society and the coming into existence of the Ashoknagar Colony in Ranchi, first registered as the "Ranchi Govt. Employees Cooperative House Construction Society." In 1964, through the first amendment to its bye-laws, it was renamed "Services Housing Cooperative Society Ltd., Ashoknagar Ranchi" — with the main objective of easing the accommodation difficulties of government servants posted at Ranchi.
Key Facts
Date of Registration
21.03.1960
Registration Number
20/R
Renamed To Present Name
1964
Section 2
Land and Layout
A Geographical Entity
Shri T.C. Puri, ICS, and Shri D.P. Verma of the Bihar Civil Service — the Society's first Chairman and Honorary Secretary — visited several sites before the Government of Bihar agreed to allot 155 acres in the villages of Argora and Kadru. The land was remote at the time; the main town then ended near Ratan Talkies.
Possession of the full 155 acres was handed over by the Housing Department vide letter no. 7473, dated 19.12.1964, and the layout plan was approved soon after — 496 plots at first, later extended to 508, with land also set aside for parks, a health centre, a marketing complex, a school and a temple.
Key Facts
Land Allotted
155 Acres
Residential Plots
508
Internal Roads
110 KM
Section 3
Its Movement With Time
How It Evolved to Its Present, Pristine Glory
What began as a remote allotment is now one of Ranchi's most conveniently placed colonies, within easy reach of the Airport, Railway Station, Bus Depot, High Court, Nepal House and the Secretariat.
Beyond its location, the Society is known for its members — participative, and invested in the community's well-being. Elections to the Board of Directors are held on due dates, conducted democratically at the General Body's meeting, in a spirit that has made Ashoknagar a flagship society not only in Jharkhand, but in Bihar as well.
Key Facts
Governance
Elected Board
Distinction
Planned Colony
Section 4
Its Preservation in the Future
Cardinal Duties of Members
Membership was originally restricted to serving government servants of Bihar, and later Jharkhand — but as members retired and settled elsewhere, many lost interest in building on their plots. The Society amended its bye-laws to allow surrender of such plots in favour of an eligible member of the surrendering member's choosing, keeping the pace of development alive.
Further amendments have since allowed even bifurcation of a member's house and land between succeeding family members — though each plot still carries only one allottee, or Karta, with others permitted only as non-participative associate members.
Key Facts
Bye-Law Provision
Plot Surrender
Later Amendment
Bifurcation
Section 5
Security, Cleanliness & Water Supply
Our Topmost Priorities
Ashoknagar is not a gated apartment complex with a single point of entry, so security across its land expanse remains chiefly a matter for the government's law and order machinery, with the Society assisting where it can. Civic works, once handled by the Society alone, are now shared with the Ranchi Municipal Corporation.
Water supply, managed by the committee, remains a continuing struggle against scarcity — met partly through a rainwater harvesting campaign and members' own arrangements — alongside the steady duty of covering and cleaning open drains.
Key Facts
Civic Works
RMC + Society
Water Initiative
Rainwater Harvesting
Section 6
Challenges Ahead
A Changing Socio-Geopolitical Scenario
Ranchi's rise as the capital of Jharkhand in 2000 brought a rush of commercial pressure on the colony. To keep its essentially residential character, the bye-laws were amended to prohibit purely commercial construction — even as growing traffic, ageing roadside trees and a falling water table continue to test the colony daily.
It remains in the interest of the Society that members stay active in its welfare — without adequate funds, every plan for the colony's future simply waits in the pipeline.
Key Facts
Capital Status Since
2000
Bye-Law Update
Residential-Use Protection
Section 7
Brief about Residents
A Community of Distinguished Service
Right from its inception, Ashoknagar has always been among the most sought-after addresses for all Gazetted Class-1 officers of the State and Central Services, including those on deputation to Bihar and Jharkhand. To own and build a house in Ashoknagar has always been considered a cherished dream and a matter of pride.
Key Facts
Resident Profile
Gazetted Class-1 Officers
Eligibility
State & Central Services
Status
Cherished & Prestigious