Internal Strife Poses Problems for Coop Society

ROURKELA: The functioning of Rourkela Regional Marketing Cooperative Society (RRCMS) is in total mess with the elected management facing internal tussles over ‘arbitrary’ relieving of its long serving secretary by the president. 

The RRCMS is a central cooperative body of the Cooperation Department with seven Large And Multi-Purpose Cooperative Societies (LAMPS) in Panposh sub-division of Sundargarh district under its fold.

After three years of being nominated as management body, election to the RRCMS was held in April this year and 15 directors got elected with Gangadhar Nanda as its president.

Justifying his decision to relieve secretary Babaji Mallick, who was originally posted as Cooperative Extension Officer (CEO) in Bisra block, Nanda cited a resolution of October 14 claiming that 12 directors at the board meeting had decided to relieve Mallick. He said under circumstantial compulsions, Mallick was relieved on October 19. He was holding additional charge of RRCMS secretary for nearly seven years amid various instances of mismanagement.

In August, he said, the Vigilance sleuths conducted raids to find shortage of 11.5 tonnes of fertilisers, while a woman peon and a labourer recently complained that they were sexually exploited by the secretary. Nanda claimed the secretary is reluctant to return to his original posting and demanded immediate posting of his replacement.

To complicate the matter, the registrar in the Cooperation Department on November 13 had replaced Mallick with  Kuanrmunda CEO MK Jena. However, three days later, he cancelled the order. Around the same time, eight other directors complained to the department that the president arbitrarily relieved the secretary for personal benefit and continuation of the president would be detrimental to the interest of the RRCMS. Sundargarh-based Deputy Registrar of Cooperative Societies (DRCS) AC Majhi said an inquiry is underway and he has recommended that the secretary be relieved in a proper manner with posting of an eligible Government employee in his place.

The RRCMS has around 150 shops and 25 godowns at a prime location of Rourkela city with annual rental earning of nearly `24 lakh, but its other responsibilities of handling fertiliser distribution and sale of consumer goods have been affected due to mismanagement.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com