Cooperative in grip of red-tape

By Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI, AUG. 1.

In clear violation of the directives of party president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, on strengthening of the cooperative movement, the Congress(I)-ruled Delhi Government has made a large number of senior IAS, DANICS officials and retired personnel as Administrators in various cooperative societies ``making a mockery'' of the cooperative culture.

The continued ``dominance of babudom'' has brought with it red- tapsim and bureaucratic bottlenecks stalling the efforts to give fillip to the cooperative movement. The movement, has been handed over in a platter to a handful of bureaucrats.

This has created resentment within the party and demands are being made for changing the administrators in a majority of these societies and bodies as after their induction things have come to a virtual standstill. The matter has also been taken up with the AICC(I) general secretary incharge Delhi, Mr. Kamal Nath.

Interestingly, the Cooperatives and Development Minister, Dr. Yoganand Shastri, has done little to check this virtual takeover by babus. Mr. Ramesh Tiwari, Secretary to the Development Minister, is the administrator in three Cooperative Group Housing Societies where the state of affairs had deteriorated since he took charge. The residents of the Kohat Cooperative Housing Building Society at Kohat Enclave in Pitampura at least are up in arms against the ``indifferent attitude'' of Mr. Tiwari who since he became the administrator has till date not held a single meeting to review welfare works.

The residents complain that Mr. Tiwari does not have the time to look into the affairs of society. If this is the situation, it is better to restore the status quo. It is not that the government should not interfere, but the effort should be to settle matters and not complicate things. Not just one housing society or cooperative body but wherever administrators have been imposed for some reason or the other, mainly dispute within the office- bearers, the situation has gone from bad to worse. However, it has evoked little response from the concerned Department or the Minister.

The supersession of the elected body of a society has more to do with politics and less with effective administration. This is in total contrast to the directives by Ms. Gandhi that the government and departments should initiate steps to further the cooperative culture by involving the people. But, the Cooperative Department of the Delhi Government is doing exactly the opposite.

For instance, the Delhi State Cooperative Bank has Mr. Y. D. Bankata, IAS as Administrator. He is also vice-chairman as the Delhi Agriculture Marketing Board. Prof. Comrade Iqbal, another close associate of Dr. Shastri, is the Administrator of Delhi Consumer Cooperative Wholesale Store and he is not even a Congressman. Similarly, a retired IAS officer, Mr. Ganga Dass, is the Administrator of the Delhi Nagrik Sehkari Bank and Udyogsheel Mahila Sehkari Samiti Limited, posts which would have gone to a political person. But this does not seem to be the priority of authorities which is bending backwards to oblige former civil servants. More than two dozen retired civil servants have been adjusted by the Congress(I).

Similarly, Mr. Gopal Dixit, a retired IAS and former Registrar or Cooperative Societies, has been rewarded by making him the Administrator of Jhang Cooperative Group Housing Society in Rohini. Ms. Rita Kumar, DANICS officer, is the Administrator of Adarsh Bhawan Housing Society, but has little time to resolve their problems. There is no end to such appointments.

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