Lapse by co-op dept costs state govt crores

Susamma Kurian : Hindustan Times : Mumbai : September 14, 2010 :

The state would have earned crores as indirect revenue had the co-operative department implemented the indemnity bond rule as per the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act.

This has been revealed after Thane resident Nainesh Dolas filed a Right to Information (RTI) application early this year, seeking details regarding the number of co-operative housing societies in the state and whether they all had submitted the indemnity bond.

Of the 35 districts in the state, five districts provided Dolas with the number of housing societies, but most of them did not give information about the indemnity bond.

Dolas, who is still awaiting information from the other districts, said, “According to section 73 (1) A, B and section 78 (A) of the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960 and 1961, every management committee member of a society, which is registered under the Act, has to get a stamp paper worth Rs100 and submit the indemnity bond within 15 days. If the bond is not executed, then their membership and work is invalid.”

As per the information received by Dolas regarding the five districts — Thane, Nagpur, Cidco (Navi Mumbai), Kolhapur and Latur — there are 29,137 co-operative housing societies in all these districts.

“If we take 7 members from each of these societies and multiply it by 100, it amounts to

Rs 2,04,16,900,” added Dolas.

In an instance of societies not submitting the indemnity bond, only 75 of the 2,027 registered co-operative housing societies in Ambernath taluka of Thane district have submitted the bond.

“This is an indicator of the lapse of the co-operative department, which didn’t implement the rule properly. They are not maintaining proper records,” said Dolas, who has written to the chief minister, revenue minister and the co-operative department enlightening them about the loss of revenue to the state.

“I have asked them to take disciplinary action against the officials.”