Mumbai, February 17: After FPJ broke the story on citizens coming together to fight and protest against the malpractices of the office of the registrar of cooperative housing societies in Mumbai, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has responded to their call and set up a special cell to look into their grievances.
The Cooperative Housing Societies cell will be headed by coordinator Hemant Khandekar and citizens can now freely approach him with their complaints. They can also request his intervention in the settlement of their issues with the respective managing committees of their societies and also the registrar. Khandekar hopes to request the CM to have an open durbar, a face to face with citizens soon so they can openly air their grievances.
Here To Resolve Your Problems: Hemant Khandekar
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Khandekar said, “Housing society issues are becoming serious in nature and affecting a lot of citizens today. CM Shinde has taken cognisance of it. He has personally appointed me as the liaison or go between the government, the registrar’s office and the aggrieved citizens. I am here to resolve your problems whether they concern the malpractices in your respective housing societies, the managing committees of your societies or even the registrar’s office. You can always approach me and I will try to help you out.”
He was speaking at a press conference organised by Fight Against Cooperation (Hsg) Corruption (FACC), an initiative of citizens who are affected by the malpractices prevalent in housing societies as also the registrar’s office.
FACC Calls For Strict Adherence To Rule Of Law
Reshama Chakraborty, coordinator, FACC, requested Khandekar that there should be strict adherence to the rule of law by the registrar’s office. “It is the Government’s responsibility to ensure that the registrar’s office does so. Any violation on their part should be dealt with seriously by the government”, she said.
KJV Rao, legal consultant, FACC, added that managing committees in cooperative housing societies are “behaving like owners of the buildings” and the registrar’s office is hand in glove with them. “Corruption is rampant. A quasi judicial body like the registrar’s office is operating like powers unto themselves”.
