Society officials promise to clear dues within 8 days
TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: Investors ~mostly poor migrant workers~ who invested in a pigmy fund of Goa Liberal Multipurpose Co-operative Credit Society Limited filed a police complaint on Monday after repayment cheques issued to them allegedly bounced.
The investors who claimed they were duped also alleged that society officials were giving them evasive answers. But society officials said that though their reserve fund was nil since there was a concerted run on the bank, arrangements were being made to make repayments.
“One month back my pigmy scheme matured. And the society gave me a cheque some 15 days back which bounced when I deposited it. First they told me to resubmit it. Now they are saying come today, come tomorrow,” Anand Ram Dessai who deposited Rs 2,12,100 with the society told media.
Depositors claimed to have amounts ranging from over Rs 60,000, to 2,00,000 and say that they have been saving Rs 100-200 at a time for a rainy day.
“For one month they are troubling me. We are putting Rs 100-200 together. They are saying money is coming. They called up today … but till date not one paisa has been given,” says Phiroz Shah who has deposited some Rs 60,000 with the society.
However society officials say that arrangements are being made and everybody will be paid back. “The withdrawals came all together. I have spoken to the chairman,” Vice Chairman of the cooperative society Ravindra Davane said adding that most of these depositors were from Karnataka and had gone home for the elections.
“They have come all of a sudden… but from Monday we will start clearing them. Within eight days everything will be cleared,” he said.
After gheraoing officials, depositors marched to the Mapusa police station and filed a complaint. But police say that till now, no FIR has been registered and that they have asked for the files.
