This is my open letter to the Chairman of San Antonio Apartments Association, Flat 6, Caranzalem, Tiswadi, Goa 4003002:
1. What is the reason for inability to calculate square footage of apartments, shops, parking spots and other assets of member before? At the AGM meeting of 2013 it was decided to charge members based on SQM ownership of each members assets. The question is did all the MC members themselves provide their sale deeds (for all the assets they own including parking, shops, etc) and how did the MC compute now the SQM?
2. What about collecting the past dues from the owners of the commercial units? Why that was also not included in the Agenda?
3. How are you going to form a Housing Co-operative Society, when a MC member herself told me recently told me that it will ne be done, because there are too many issues at stake” (i.e. builder, multiple flat owners, shops, etc.)?
4. There are 45 members, but, only 10 to 14 turn up at the meetings and out of these 14 members, 8 or 9 are MC members and their family. Should not the remaining 35 members know what is happening at San Antonio and vote on major issues? In this technological age, why can’t the MC take a vote by sending out letters and emails and obtain MAJORITY consensus on ALL IMPORTANT ISSUES?
5. What is the common reason for the members not paying for maintenance and for paving?
6. Why was priority given to paving instead of attending to urgent leaking roofs?
7. Why was money taken to repair the collapsed wall and not repaired?
8. According to the standard model bylaws of cooperative housing societies based on which SAAA bylaws were drawn up: “……..The quorum for every general body meeting of the Society shall be 2/3rd of the total number of Members of the Society or 20, whichever is less….”, why has the MC not been complying with those bylaws?
9. At the meetings, the MC members dominate the meetings and if any (non MC) member raises any grievance or puts forward a suggestion, the entire MC and their family gang up on the member and shuts the member down. When a question is addressed to a MC member, the entire MC responds with one chorus and quietens the member. The members present at the meetings are therefore terrified to raise objection to the irregularities existing in the colony since more than half the members (around 23) of the 45 member colony are absentee flat owners. At the last AGM out of 14 attendees, 8 were MC members (and their family). If the MC has the mailing addresses and email addresses of all the members what is the need to have meetings for major expenses when only around 10% of non-MC members attend and the MC takes decisions that affect 100% of members. Therefore ALL MEMBERS should have the option to vote for doing major repairs and for major policy decisions. And their votes remain on record, since the minutes of the meetings are suspiciously manipulated by the managing MC. The minute’s book has never been shown to the members. So, what is prepared and distributed later could be “made-up”.
10. Why are the maintenance fees uniform to all and why was maintenance fees not charged to the owners of shops all these years?
11. There are 45 flats but only the 5 or 6 members got reserved parking or covered parking. Being an asset they own, no provision was made for them to pay proportionately for repairs or paving or for the maintenance or cleaning and security. Why is one MC member a fixed MC member since the beginning and attends all meetings? Is he a “spy” for the builder?
12. MC members constantly complain that they are volunteers and they have paid jobs, but, why are they recycling their roles and demand to remain PERMANENTLY on the MC, even though the bylaws state that they should hold office for one year. In fact, when I became a member of SAAA, I had volunteered to join the Committee in order to share my skills in developing a newsletter to show transparency and keep members informed of what is happening and thus develop a rapport when time comes to solicit funds, but, my initiative was turned down by the MC and I don’t think I would offer my services again.
13. Some MC members have 1, 2 and 3 cars, but, have not introduced parking fees?
14. Why is the MC refusing to share the bank records with the members who ask for them?
15. Why was a flat owner harassed to pay transfer fee when according to the bylaws the transfer fee is to be paid by the transferor and not the transferee.
16. The sign at the entrance to the colony says “Outside cars not allowed”. Why was a MC member allowed to have outside cars in the colony during his parties?
17. On Feb 9, 2015 why were paving stones allowed to be stacked in the thoroughfare of a senior citizen who has heart problems?
18. Regarding the increase in Outgoings from 8400 per year to 12000 per year, one can understand
Electricity and water charges. But what people are confused about are the other charges? For example if the security charges involves paying the watchmen, then for what is the salary and wages for; thus totalling a sum of Rs.220, 224? And why has this increased by almost 60%? Then the other charges for garden and landscaping, swimming pool maintenance, etc. to whom are these amounts paid?
19. I have asked the Honourable Chairman for a breakup of the above amounts and to whom have those amounts been paid and I have not been provided that information even though nearly three weeks have passed.
20. On Feb 9 2015 the managing MC themselves through a MC member orchestrated in blocking the thoroughfare of a senior citizen who has heart problems.
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