PANAJI
The Registrar of Co-operative Societies (RCS) Siddhant Gaunekar on Friday 'disqualified' several past and present members of the Board of Directors of Goa Dairy via a quasi-judicial order in which they have been held guilty of irregularities that caused losses and also "acting detrimental" to the milk Cooperative.
Among those disqualified include the current Goa Dairy chairman Rajesh Phaldesai and several other members of the current BoD.
Simultaneously, the RCS also appointed a three-member committee of administrators (CoA) to manage the Goa Dairy for six months or until elections are held to fill up the vacancies following the disqualification.
Parag Nagarcenkar, currently special land acquisition officer with GIDC, will head the CoA as chairman. Also on the CoA are Dr Rama Parab, a veterinarian with the department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services (AH&VS) and Sandeep Parab, an accountant with the Directorate of Accounts.
The Goa State Milk Producers Union Ltd, the co-operative which markets and sells products under the 'Goa Dairy' brand has been plagued with administrative issues and allegations of corruption against the management for years.
In the lengthy order passed on Friday, the RCS has ruled that there were irregularities in matters related to milk procurement from outside the State, procurement related to the protein enhancing ingredients and also cattle-feed plants run by the dairy.
Phaldesai meanwhile alleged that the RCS's order disqualifying him and other members of the BoD was an assault on the co-operative movement.
"We will challenge the order before the Bombay High Court at Goa," Faldesai said.
Apart from Phaldesai, the others disqualified by the RCS order include Ulhas Sinari, Vithoba Desai, Vijaykant Gaonkar, Gurudas Parab, Madhav A Sahakari, Babu Komarpant, Madhavrao Desai, Rajendra Sawal, Dhananjay Dessai, Shivanand Pednekar, Ajay Desai, Rajendra Sawal and Anselmo Furtado.
Six of these, including Faldesai are current directors and the other eight are past directors.
Interestingly, the current management headed by Faldesai had officially moved the RCS to inquire into "massive irregularities" in the Goa Dairy's functioning prior to their tenure during the time when a government-appointed Administrator was managing it.
Faldesai's demand for the inquiry cited sections of the Goa Cooperative Societies Act 2001 and observations of the auditor in its audit of 2021-22.
The RCS order meanwhile, states: "I am satisfied that immediate action is required to be taken and that it is not reasonably practicable to publish notice in accordance with proviso to section 67A of the Act inviting objections and suggestions.”
The RCS cites that it may lead to serious adverse effects on the functioning of both the Dairy and the cattle feed plants.
Before Gaunekar, the RCS in 2018, Sanjiv Gadkar, had also similarly disqualified seven directors on grounds of irregularities. Gadkar's order was however quashed by the Bombay High Court at Goa a year later.
Meanwhile the order appointing the committee of administrators (CoA) also dissolves the BoD and a fresh election is expected to be held unless as Faldesai claims the RCS' order will be challenged and the courts order otherwise.
