Maharashtra: Portal promises quick solving of society plaints

Members of the cooperative housing societies in the state can now raise their grievance against the society office-bearers of MHADA/CIDCO/SRA societies. Representation Pic/Shadab Khan

A week after Sahakar Samvad, an online platform to redress grievances was launched jointly by the state cooperative department and the Maharashtra State Cooperative Housing Federation, the portal has received over 350 complaints. The state cooperative department has claimed that 50 of the complaints received on the portal (https://sahakarsamvadhousingfed.in/) have been addressed.

Members of the cooperative housing societies in the state can now raise their grievance against the society office-bearers, general, MHADA, CIDCO and SRA societies or seek directions from the registrar of cooperative department by paying a nominal online payment of R50 for availing the service. The complainant will be able to track the status of the complaint on the portal. Users on the portal also have access to the cooperative laws, rules, bye-laws, circulars and notifications. The online portal may also help reduce the complaints which are not under the purview of the registrar's office.

Housing activists claim that the portal could have been more effective had it been backed by state government resolution or a notification in support of the alternate mode of online platform to redress grievances. The absence of a notification makes it a niche initiative by the state housing federation.

About the portal

According to the federation, the Sahakar Samvad portal is the outcome of the recommendation by the ten-member expert committee, appointed vide cooperative department order dated March, 23, 2023. "There are 23 types of issues as prescribed in the bye-laws for which the complaints can be made by the members to the registrar against the committee for violation of the provisions of the cooperative acts, rules and bye-laws," said advocate Shreeprasad Parab, expert director at the federation.

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Welcome initiative, but....

CA Ramesh Prabhu, of Maharashtra Societies Welfare Association (MahaSEWA) and housing activist said, "It is a welcome initiative. In a similar move, online registration of cooperative societies, uploading of annual returns, audit reports, uploading of orders was initiated in 2018-2020 by the cooperative department. This system developed some challenges and is not functional for the last four years." Prabhu said proactive steps are required by the officers to resolve the grievances uploaded on the portal.

"The order passed on the complaints should be made available to public at large, as per respective sections or the subject under which they have been adjudicated, in larger public interest," said Prabhu Parab said the complaints made on the portal have to be addressed by the registrar concerned within 30 to 90 days. "In case of non-compliance of order by the housing society office-bearers, the complainant can file contempt proceedings through a fresh online complaint. The hearings, in such a case, will be conducted in a physical mode, as being done at present," said Parab.

Portal user speak

Dr Mohan Gade, a resident of Rameshwar Dham society, Vile Parle (E) said, "I did not get a response to my regular complaint written to the deputy registrar, Mhada, Bandra E, even after one-and-a-half months. I have complained against the levy of shifting charges by the housing society after I had rented out my space. I have now submitted my complaint on the portal and hope it gets resolved within 30 days."

How to make complaint through the portal

Enter personal information like your name, contact details, address and the information of the housing society concerned.

>> Select the type of complaint out of the 23 issues that come under the jurisdiction of the registrar.

>> Select the registrar office from the list provided.

>> Mention the facts of the complaint in 200 words. There is also provision to attach relevant documents with a size limit of 1 MB to the complaint.

>> Pay the necessary charges (Rs 50 per complaint) and register the complaint. The complaint gets filtered as per the inputs and it reaches the registrar concerned and the reply is sent to the email address of the complainant and society within 30 days of registering the complaint.