VASCO
Former Goa Barge Owners Association (GBOA) president Raymond D’Sa has alleged that
the GBOA elections have been illegal and not conducted as per constitution of the
association.
D’Sa also questioned the appointment of GBOA past president Atul Jadhav as the chairman of the nomination committee and his right to conduct elections without having informed him.
D’Sa has alleged that members of the present committee held meetings in their private residences to conduct elections while informing other members that meetings were held in the office of GBOA.
“I have written evidence that there was neither a meeting held to discuss election affairs nor were the minutes recorded. Some members sent requisition letters to convene a meeting and accordingly I sent a letter to the secretary to convene a meeting. But for reasons not known, the secretary did not convene a meeting,” said D’Sa.
“The next meeting coincided with Gudi Padva and it was again cancelled and I instructed him to convene a meeting on the following Saturday.”
“When the meeting started, I told the members that a member, Osric Cabral, had filed a suit against the association office bearers and I insisted that the case be withdrawn so that elections could be conducted.”
D’Sa claimed he had requested the members to pass a resolution, withdraw the case and record the minutes, so that it could be presented before the court, as the hearing was on April 30.
“Other members also stood by my decision and vouched that the case filed against the association be withdrawn so that elections can be conducted. But there was chaos and the meeting was stopped.”
“But now on the minutes, names of people who had not attended the meeting and left are also on the minutes. The opposite groups convened meetings in their private offices and circulated the minutes stating that it was held in GBOA office after the meeting, which witnessed chaos, was over.” D’Sa said he then went to the GBOA office and asked the secretary to give him a certified copy of the minutes of the meeting.
“He gave me in writing that the meeting never took place and hence there were no minutes,” said D’Sa.
“Who gave the right to Atul Jadhav to be the chairman of the nomination committee and this is not as per GBOA, which states only the executive committee body has the right to declare the elections or else the rights go to the general body.”
“When we have a functional secretary who has to send a notice to all members, I do not know why is there a need for a pro-tem secretary and who has appointed him? Any meeting to discuss election or GBOA business has to be convened in the GBOA office only and not in private offices. Besides this, only members who have paid fees are eligible to vote,” claimed D’Sa.
