MINISTER of Labour, with responsibility for Cooperatives, Dr. Nanda Kishore Gopaul has said investigations will be conducted into the operations of the Devonshire Castle and Queenstown Land Co-ops and Lima/Reliance Livestock Development Association Co-operative Societies.
Addressing members of the three organisations, in the Regional Boardroom at Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast yesterday, he said the Devonshire Castle Co-op will be fully investigated to unearth financial irregularities concerning the sale of a piece of land that belonged to it, without the knowledge of most members and the absence of documents to show the financial transaction.
He said a probe will also be done into a contract concerning the excavation of blocked drains in the society’s estate and the amount of money paid to the contractor.
Minister Gopaul also advised the executive committee of the co-op to hold a general meeting of members to chart the way forward.
He called on all the membership to sit and work together as friends and comrades and not fight each other to sort out problems in the society.
The minister said cooperative societies have to develop their own plans to fix and maintain dams and trenches in their respective estates and all expenses incurred for the purpose will have to be met by them.
The Devonshire Castle Coop never had a bank account and owes the Government more than $25M in taxes, it was disclosed.
The Secretary, Pooran Persaud said the previous committee of management, headed by Lakhan Lall, cannot give account of the society’s records from 2002 to 2011 and the transport for the estate is missing.
A member of the Queenstown Land Coop, Bridgemohan (only name stated) told the minister that the society has 20 members but the committee of management is not functioning because the Co-operative Department took all its records for safe keeping several months ago and it is difficult for the co-op to function without them.
Bridgemohan said the co-op is claiming some 234 acres of land as ancestral property but some members have sold out their parcels.
Minister Gopaul, after listening to the problems of the Queenstown Co-op, concluded that the only thing to speak for the society is its records. He said an inquiry will be done and the membership will be established from its records.
After listening to an executive member of the Lima Reliance Livestock Development Association Coop Society, about its concerns, the minister suggested that a list with names of its members be prepared with the number of acres awarded from a field of 166. The Coop has 26 members and their enterprise was cattle and other livestock rearing but members ventured into rice farming instead because of aerial spraying which affected their animals.
Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Alli Baksh, who was with Gopaul, said the transferring of lands on transports will not be done unless arrears rate and taxes are fully paid.
The team that met with co-op members also included Permanent Secretary in the Public Service Ministry, Mr. Hydar Ally, Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) Chairman, Mr. Parmanand Persaud and Vice-Chairman, Mr. Vishnu Samaroo.