‘Don’t want state to monitor polls’

Co-operative housing societies across the city are unhappy with the changes to the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Act 2019, which came into effect

Co-operative housing societies across the city are unhappy with the changes to the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Act 2019, which came into effect on September 24. As per the amended Act, the societies have to inform the registrar about their internal elections, following which an official will be appointed to monitor the polls.

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On Saturday, the office-bearers of some of the oldest co-operative housing societies in the city gathered at Bandra to discuss the changes in the law. They submitted a list of their objections to Bandra legislator Ashish Shelar and are planning to meet the Maharashtra chief secretary on Tuesday to discuss the matter.

Cornel Gonsalves, secretary of Salsette Catholic Co-operative Housing Society (SCCHS), Bandra, which completed 100 years last year, said that they had raised their objections with the government before the bill was passed. However, their concerns were not addressed in the law.

“The government doesn’t pay us for running our societies. Then why does it want to interfere in our elections? Besides, we are expected to pay around ₹10,000 for the poll process,” said Gonsalves.

Vinod Sampat, president of Co-operative Societies Residents Welfare Association, said the societies would have to wait for a new government to be formed. “As of now, no society can conduct elections, because a mechanism would have to be put in place after the new government is formed. So, the objections raised by the members does not apply at present.