BJP backed employee credit society red flagged in MBMC

In yet another setback for BJP’s battle for supremacy in the labour territory of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC), the divisional joint registrar of cooperative societies (Kokan Bhavan) de-registered the employee credit society that was affiliated to the party’s local unit. The orders followed in response to a petition (49/2018) filed by the Mira-Bhayandar Mahanagarpalika Sahkari Karmchari Patpedhi.

Stung by the defeat in the credit society polls, the BJP supported Mira Bhayandar Shramik General Kamgaar Sanghatna had managed to get its cooperative credit society registered in January 2017. However, the 24-year-old Mira-Bhayandar Mahanagarpalika Sahkari Karmchari Patpedhi, which boasts of an annual turnover of around Rs 15 crore and claims to have enrolled more than 800 of the 1,500 plus employees working in various departments of MBMC, took a strong objection.

“Apart from creating confusion, the registration of a similar entity in a single establishment posed a threat to the financial stability of the existing credit society. Thankfully, the illegally formed society has been deregistered,” said Govind Parab of the Mira-Bhayandar Mahanagarpalika Sahkari Karmchari Patpedhi.

“Judicial remedy will be sought to protect the interests of more than 450 members who have enrolled with us. How can we or any agency let them down. Our society is financially strong,” said Vasudev Shirvalkar of the Shramik General Kamgaar Sanghatna.

Set up in 1995, the Mahanagarpalika Karmchari Patpedhi is a part of MBMC’s welfare measure for employees. It provides soft loans to employees and also acts as a bank. As a result, local political parties in a bid to win confidence of employees are keen to wrestle control.