PANAJI: The government on Thursday announced that it would order a judicial inquiry into all cases pertaining to auction and sale of properties by the Goa State Co-operative Bank, dating back to 1994, and especially those which occurred since 2002 after the enactment of the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002.
Coming out with this assurance in the state legislative assembly, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said that a lot of illegalities had taken place during the auction and sale of properties, including lands and apartments, by the apex bank in the state in the co-operative sector.
“The magnitude of the fraud is big and therefore government wants to unearth all such illegalities and reach their roots,” he added.
Parsekar also brought to the notice of the House that in the year 2006, the bank had auctioned and sold a property at Bainguinim, admeasuring 63 sq mts, for Rs 1.36 crore, when its valuation in 1995 had placed it at Rs 8.19 crore.
“In another case, two flats were auctioned and sold by the bank for Rs 4 lakh each,” he added, maintaining that there exist many such cases.
The Chief Minister made the announcement after the Opposition as well as the ruling MLAs joined hands and rejected the offer of Minister for Industries Mahadev Naik to conduct an inquiry into these irregularities, through the state Registrar of Co-operative Societies.
Parsekar also observed that although the government wants to book the culprits involved in these illegalities, the financial institution should survive.
“We want no harm to the bank, just because some people have erred,” he said, stating that the bank already faces an accumulated loss of Rs 52 crore.
Independent MLA from Fatorda Vijay Sardesai, who raised a question about these illegalities, said the chairman of the particular bank and the state Registrar of Co-operative Societies had joined hands to illegally auction and sale hundreds of properties, and therefore it would not be right to conduct the inquiry through the Registrar of Co-operative Societies, even if the person who was allegedly involved in the frauds has retired from the post.
Sardesai pointed out that the seal of the Central Registrar of Co-operative Societies was misused in the sale deeds by the state Registrar of Co-operative Societies and chairman of the bank.
“In fact, the forged seal was used on the sale deeds,” he maintained.
Responding to the Sardesai’s allegations made by Naik admitted that the entire business of auctioning and sale of properties by the bank is in mess.