Mumbai: Committee’s quest for answers unveils irregularities in CHS

Chandrasekhar Prabhu addressing the cops

The newly formed committee from the ‘DHYAS-Swayam Vikas' panel, led by Mumbai policemen, both retired and serving (including constables, head constables, assistant sub-inspectors, and sub-inspectors), is troubled by several pressing questions. These questions highlight potential irregularities within the cooperative housing society and raise concerns about the conduct of the promoters, including IPS officials, and the previous committee operating under the banner of "Brihanmumbai Police Sahakari Gruhnirman Society."

Some of the pertinent questions that trouble the committee include: How is it possible for 650 policemen to share the same address within a single building in Airoli? Why have the names and addresses of police members not been included in the mandated Form I and J, as required by cooperative laws? Moreover, why has the newly elected committee not received complete documentation, such as meeting minutes, despite winning the election months ago? Additionally, why is there a lack of proper records and receipts for many policemen who have paid substantial sums ranging from Rs lakh to Rs 3 lakh?

Tulsi Cooperative Housing Society in Sector 9, Airoli: All above applicants were shown as members of the Tulsi CHS

These queries underscore the committee's concerns and shed light on potential discrepancies within the cooperative housing society, prompting the need for further investigation into the conduct of the previous committee and the stakeholders involved. mid-day had earlier covered the story extensively highlighting grievances of policemen awaiting homes due to alleged irregularities.

Moved cooperative court

The disputants and society members have been persistently requesting the chief promoters, including a retired IPS officer, to conduct elections for a new committee since the society's registration. Despite the requirement to elect a new committee within six months of registration in 2019, elections weren't held until August 2023.

In a plea dated November 24, 2022, the previous committee was asked to prepare a final voter list, excluding deceased members and including their legal heirs, updating retired/transferred/cancelled memberships. Despite several reminders and extensions (December 02, 2022, February 15, 2022, February 27, 2022), they failed to submit the voter list. The fourth reminder on March 13, 2023, led to the publication of a flawed voter list on April 3, 2023, after objections and corrections were made between March 17 and March 24, 2023.

"Apart from cited reasons, making it challenging to proceed with the election, we requested a stay," said an anonymous disputant. Despite a rejected plea by the Cooperative court, elections took place on October 7 at AC Patil College of Engineering, with 2,400 voters out of 4,906 exercising their rights, and over 1,500 supporting the ‘DHYAS-Swayam Vikas' panel.

"Even after winning, we're yet to receive essential documents. Some arrived only after the cooperative registrar urged the previous committee on November 3, 2023, including land sale documents, bank account details, unaudited balance sheets for 2022-2023, but crucial records like meeting minutes, corrected I & J registers, and receipts for member advances are still pending," said a policeman.

650 people, same address

The earlier committee's voter list showed significant inconsistencies and failed to maintain essential registers like the mandatory I & J members' register. These discrepancies, unendorsed by the Registrar of Cooperative Societies, included missing details of deceased members and their legal heirs, despite reminders from the Assistant Registrar of the Cooperative Department in Khalapur. "While reviewing the voter list, we discovered something suspicious: over 650 policemen had the same contact address at a single building in Airoli," said an office bearer. Further investigation revealed that this building in Sector 9, Airoli, with only ground plus three floors, couldn't possibly accommodate the mentioned 650 addresses; it actually houses just seventeen flats, indicating falsified information in the voter list.

Building secretary speaks

Dipankar Moitra, secretary of Tulsi Housing Society in Sector 9, Airoli, said, "Our building, over twenty-two years old, has a total of 17 flats. Two of these flats have been occupied by serving policemen since the society's inception."

Office rent and staff unpaid

A policeman part of the newly elected committee said, "The previous committee failed to pay office rent and neglected staff salaries." The member emphasised the new committee's commitment to fellow policemen's welfare, aiming to cut unnecessary costs by bringing lunch from home, avoiding tea expenses, and considering retired policemen's services instead of hiring office staff.

"To minimise inconvenience and reduce office rent expenses, the committee intends to establish a small office in a room within central Mumbai's police quarters for easier access by all members," the member further added.

Retired cops are struggling

Many policemen joined the police housing project in 2012 with hopes of owning a home upon retirement. Sadly, that dream remains unfulfilled. Retired policemen are either returning to their hometowns or struggling in rented houses beyond MMR areas due to unaffordable rents in Mumbai. With pensions ranging from R20,000 to R25,000 per month for retired sub-inspectors, meeting family expenses is challenging.

"We're committed to ensuring that legal heirs of deceased policemen or their widows rightfully claim flats when available. We'll assist in obtaining the necessary legal heirship documents for such members," said a police officer. As one policeman said, "We, the foot soldiers, trusted our superiors, but they've betrayed our trust. Despite attempting to reason with the involved IPS officers today, they disregard our concerns and refuse to acknowledge their shoddy work."

Records to be updated

"The newly elected committee is resolute in maintaining accurate records in accordance with the Cooperative Societies Act and its regulations," said a committee member.

"The task ahead is mammoth. The previous committee didn't adhere to the required record-keeping standards. Furthermore, some members who paid initial fees ranging from R1 lakh to R3 lakh lack receipts. We'll need to verify both the voter list and the payments made," the member said. "Our next step involves engaging a government-approved auditor to check all financial records, including the previous committee's balance sheet. Any discrepancies found will be addressed in the audit report. We'll seek clarifications based on the auditor's findings, shaping our subsequent actions," added the member.

What next

"Our committee is dedicated to realising the dream of policemen owning their homes. We've unanimously chosen urban planner Chandrashekar Prabhu to lead our self-development initiative," said a committee representative. "We possess the land documents and intend to present them to the committee for a thorough title search. It's crucial to ensure we have all factual details in hand," the representative added.

Expert view

Chandrasekhar Prabhu, the urban planner aware of the situation, said, "Currently, some documents are still pending, and the new committee is consistently following up with the old committee.'" When asked about the audit, Prabhu said, "The government-approved auditors will conduct the audit according to the directives set by the government."

650
No. of policemen having the same address