TEAM HERALD
CORTALIM: Sancoale comunidade components were officially called to collect their rightful dividends, but had to return home disappointed after they were ‘unofficially’ informed that their dividends would not be paid.
February 1, 2 and 3 had been fixed for disbursement of the dividends of Sancoale Comunidade after a gazetted notification was made to this effect. However, the Administrator of Comunidades, South Zone Vishant Gaunekar decided to withhold the payments because the comunidade refused to give ‘derrama’ to the Administration office.
Criticising the highhandedness of the administrator as unprecedented, the shareholders demanded that the administrator should be severely punished for this illegal act.
Celestino Noronha who is the component of Sancoale Comunidade and Attorney of various other comunidades said that “action of the administrator is nothing but insubordination.”
“The Administrator has gone against the order of the Administrative Tribunal, which clearly held that dividends and ‘derrama’ cannot be interlinked and also the assurance given by the Revenue Minister that ‘derrama’ and dividends would not be linked.”
Another comunidade component who wished not to be named said, “Inspite of Revenue Minister Francis D’Souza’s assurance in the Legislative Assembly and outside that dividend/jono payments will not be delayed under any circumstances, this goes to show that his officers has no regard for him, and that the government had lost its control over the administration.”
Meanwhile, Sancoale Comunidade Treasurer Narayan D Naik denied reports that he refused to sign the dividend cheques. “I have signed the dividends cheques which are in the possession of the escrivao,” Naik informed Herald.
The Administrator however could not be contacted for his comments.
Under the Code of Comunidades, dividends/jonos are to be distributed in January and February every year with public notice with antecedence of three weeks.
Minority institutions like the Church Cofres, Fabricas, Confrarias, etc, are the major beneficiaries of dividends in many comunidades in Salcete and Mormugao. The shareholding of these institutions is around 20 per cent – 30 per cent in some major comunidades. Besides, a large majority of comunidade members are senior citizens and comunidade share dividends/jonos form a substantial part of their income.
