Vasai residents uncover administrator’s fake degree, misconduct & abuse of power

Rocky Gonsalves an administrator appointed in 2019 by the divisional joint registrar at Konkan Bhavan is facing charges for presenting a fake degree certificate from Delhi University The initial FIR lodged at Manikpur police station by deputy registrar Vasai has been forwarded to Palghar police for further investigationGonsalves in his 60s has a history of legal issues including two molestation cases one under POCSO in Vasai back in 2013 Residents of Evershine Marvel Coop Housing Society where Gonsalves worked as an administrator accused him of mental harassment and extortion Victor Drsquobritto a 58yearold resident highlighted how Gonsalves imposed hefty illegal fines escalating from nearly Rs 5 lakh to around Rs 9 lakh and targeted those questioning financial mismanagement within the society He also expelled a few residents from the housing society by misusing his power and all this was done in connivance with the top brass of the cooperation department said DrsquobrittoDrsquobritto shared ldquoHe used his position to bully and exploit anyone who spoke against irregularities My family now faces the threat of losing our home due to a penalty imposed without any legal basisrdquoRocky Gonsalves an administrator appointed by divisional joint registrar at Konkan Bhavan right Yogesh Desai deputy registrarThe issue started when the office bearers started spending exorbitant amount to buy tanker water Others and I questioned the excessive spending on tanker water by our housing societyrsquos office bearers Gonsalves retaliated by targeting anyone who spoke up He seemed determined to silence us said DrsquoBrittoHe was there to drain our societys funds and intimidate anyone who dared to challenge him he addedHe aimed to torment me because I raised my voice against the irregularities Now my flat is on the verge of being auctioned due to an unjust penalty imposed to harass me Its disturbing my entire family said DrsquoBritto now residing in VirarWhen I questioned him about the steep maintenance bill he accused me of encroachment without providing any evidence He remained silent when I mentioned involving the civic body for verification I contacted the VVCMC officials to check if I had encroached upon the society area but nobody from civic body came on a visit he addedDespite my complaint to Deputy Registrar Yogesh Desai he chose to stay silent Now Im threatened with flat auctioning if I donrsquot pay the penalty and pending maintenance After three notices my flat will be auctioned to recover the amount he lamentedSince the seniors are supporting Gonsalves he received more than eight Coop Housing Societies to oversee a clear breach of the order from the divisional joint registrar limiting an administrator to three societies he highlightedOther residents voiced similar grievances citing instances where Gonsalves misused authority expelled residents and unjustly enforced fines Despite complaints to higher authorities including the commissioner registrar in Pune and additional chief secretary in Mantralaya Gonsalves operated unchecked due to alleged support from senior officialsWe submitted an RTI application on January 27 2022 to the divisional joint registrar of cooperative societies Konkan Bhavan requesting documents submitted by administrator Gonsalves We received a response on February 16 said a housing society member from VasaiWe obtained Gonsalves degree certificate submitted during his 2019 recruitment The certificate had his name spelt as Rock Gonsalves and a Hindi word was incorrectly written These discrepancies prompted us to investigate further revealing his criminal record involving the sexual assault of minor girls in Vasai the member addedWas Gonsalves recruiter at Konkan Bhavan oblivious to these errors in his name Or was it a result of collusion with senior officers in a department tainted by corruption said the residentFlying squad inquiryWhen residents from various housing societies reported against Gonsalves to higher authorities he was ousted as an administrator The Registrar of Coop Society Mumbai then commissioned a flying squad inquiry midday is in possession of the enquiry reportThe investigation led by special auditor Nilesh Naik and the flying squad unearthed significant irregularities during Rocky Gonsalves tenure as administrator These involved substantial amounts from the societies funds said a society memberEven after his dismissal by the divisional joint registrar Gonsalves disregarded the order and continued managing the societys funds This persisted until his reappointment by Deputy Registrar Yogesh Desai at Evershine Marvel CHSL added the sourceResidents approached DUConcerned residents escalated the issue to Delhi Universitys vigilance department which confirmed discrepancies in Gonsalvesrsquo degree certificateThe letter from Delhi University citing the degree fake provided enough grounds for us to seek action against Gonsalves but we had to pursue every avenue for help The top brass seemed to suppress files everywhere Even the former senior inspector of Manikpur police station repeatedly refused to register an office against Gonsalves for reasons known only to him the resident explainedAfter 14 months of persisting with the Delhi University vigilance report an FIR was finally filed against Gonsalves at the same police station where we were previously denied The deputy commissioner of police got convinced after reviewing the manual prompting the order for the FIR resident addedDeputy Commissioner Pournima ChouguleShringi from MBVV Police said Deputy Registrar Amar Shinde filed a complaint against Rocky Gonsalves who submitted a fake degree in 2019 A zero FIR was lodged at Manikpur police station and weve transferred the case to Palghar police for further investigationAmar Shinde deputy registrar of Vasai taluka said I filed the FIR as per directives from higherups Im not aware if Gonsalves has been arrested He submitted false documents for his enrolment in 2019Yogesh Desai Shindersquos predecessor said I assigned only three housing societies to Gonsalves as per the rules Im unsure if he administered eight or nine housing societiesDesai currently a deputy registrar in Mumbai said We removed him last year following the complaintrdquo Desai was sent on forced leave after the anticorruption bureau caught a former employee in September Presently Desai works as a deputy registrar in MumbaiExpert speaksAdvocate Vinod Sampat president of the Cooperative Societies Residents Association said The divisional joint registrar should conduct regular checksAdministrators must provide weekly or monthly diaries detailing their work subject to regular scrutiny by the deputy registrar Unfortunately in reality these diaries often go unchecked due to time constraints faced by deputy registrarsA deputy registrar tends to favour a particular administrator Consequently they assign more than three coop housing societies to one administrator simultaneously a clear violation advocate Sampat told middayImplementing a board of administrators within the society is crucial Administrators shouldnt make policy decisions regarding matters like redevelopment or membership Sampat saidEvicting a resident solely for monetary gain constitutes extortion by the administrator In such instances contacting the deputy registrar joint registrar commissioner for cooperation chief secretary and involving the media to shed light on the issue is essential Additionally filing a separate complaint at the nearest police station is recommended he added2019Year Gonsalves was appointed as administrator