MARGAO
A delegation of depositors of Visionaries Urban Cooperative Society on Wednesday set November 6 as the deadline for Minister for Cooperation Govind Gaude to complete the process of auditing of the Majorda and Colva branches of the society.
A delegation of the beleaguered depositors led by Maria Vanda Gomes called on the Cooperation Minister along with Nuvem MLA Wilfred D’Sa and Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco to demand his immediate intervention and resolve their grievances.
The delegation also called on the Registrar of Cooperative Societies and submitted a memorandum listing their demands and grievances.
Maria Vanda informed that the minister has assured the delegation that work on feeding the details and audit of the two branches of Majorda and Colva will be completed by November.
“Since the Minister has assured to complete the work of the two branches by November 6, we have given him the time to fulfill the promise,” she said, warning that the depositors will chalk out the future course of action in the event of the failure to honour the promise.
Maria further informed that Gaude has assured to start work on the data feeding and audit of the Ramnagari branch immediately by deploying officials.
“We have discussed several other issues with the minister, who has assured of completing the data feeding of the two branches by November. The minister had tried to give the excuse of Covid to justify the delay, but we told him that we should leave Covid behind and work to return the hard-earned money of the depositors,” she added.
Asked whether the delegation was satisfied by the assurances given by the minister, Maria Vanda shot back saying the depositors will be happy only when their grievances are resolved by the government and get their money back.
She pointed out that the depositors will call the minister around October 20 to find out the status of the work promised by him at today’s meeting. “We will do the follow-up to ensure the assurances handed out to us are being implemented by the government authorities,” she said.
She said the data feeding and audit of the Loutolim branch of the Society is complete, adding that the minister has now assured to take up the work in respect of the Ramnagari branch immediately.
A day after the depositors lay siege outside the office of the Assistant Registrar of Cooperative Societies and took out a morcha around the MMC garden, a group of depositors returned once again outside the office before a delegation headed to call on Gaude.
