Registrar of cooperative society files flawed report to NCSC

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

The Registrar of Cooperartive Housing Society has provided false information to National Commission for Scheduled Castes in an enquiry pertaining to irregularities in the allotment of three plots in Syndicate Bank Employees Cooperative Housing Society in Anna Nagar.

After the National Commission has demanded a report from the state chief secretary within a week’s time over allotment of plots to persons belonging to other state and failure to adhere to the society bylaws of earmarking 10 per cent of the plots for SCs and STs, the registrar of cooperative societies (housing) M Rajasekar in his report on January 31 has put the blame on Tamil Nadu Housing Board stating that the board has allotted it directly to the allottees and the society has no locus standii.

Surprisingly, the Public Information Officer of Tamil Nadu Housing Board in Anna Nagar division has submitted in an RTI on February 3, 2013, that the three plots were allotted by the Cooperative Housing Society and not the Tamil Nadu Housing Board highlighting the flaws in the report filed by the registrar.

The Society in its reply to NCSC has stated that an enquiry under section 81 of Tamil Nadu Cooperative Societies Act 1983 was conducted to find out irregularities in the allotment of the plots to C Durairaj, K Rangasamy and G A Rego, who were working in Syndicate Bank Manipal. As per the society bylaws, the trio are ineligible for the plots as they are not from the state.

In the report, the registrar maintained that the plot was not allotted to the above persons by the Syndicate Bank Employees Cooperative Building Society but it was directly given to them by TNHB. Interestingly, the society did maintain the allotment was illegal.

Interestingly, the NCSC in a recent letter on February 7, has stated that registrar of Cooperative societies (Housing) in spite of having enormous powers to solve the issue have willfully disobeyed the directions of the constitutional body. It also alleged nexus between officials of Tamil nadu Housing Board, Syndicate Bank Employees Cooperative Housing Society, and the registrar of Cooperative Housing society in denying the scheduled castes their property rights.