BPP CHAIRMAN UNTRUSTWORTHY? BY DR. VIRAF J. KAPADIA
In the Parsi Times issue of Saturday 27-05-2017, Yazdi Desai writes that our letter in Parsi Darshan of 21-05-2017 issue contains lies and twisted facts. Let Yazdi Desai point out a single wrong statement in it and I will apologize. Perhaps Yazdi Desai after the Tamboly flip flop where he was proved a liar that his letter sent to Prime Minister was not a forgery has lost all credibility in the eyes of the community, aside from initially sending recommendation for Tamboly and then withdrawing it high handedly without informing the other Trustees.
When Yazdi Desai sent the circular for increase in service charges of Rs. 750/-pm & his subsequent write up that BPP was incurring a loss of Rs. 6 crores a year & mistakenly believing him to be trustworthy, I duly paid the said increase trusting the statement of loss claimed by Yazdi Desai.
Later my Chartered Accountant activist friend gave me a copy of the latest accounts of BPP filed by them which shows BPP has a carried forward income of Rs.28,62,53,070.26 i.e. about Rs.29 crores as on 31-03-2016. After this I felt cheated by the lies and twisted statements of Yazdi Desai and that is why I have gone with the delegates of all the BPP Baugs seeking justification for the increase in service charges.
I have never claimed that I am a Committee member of Godrej Baug Welfare Association. I went as an activist from Godrej Baug representing myself and scores of other residents of various Baugs who felt cheated by the huge increase in service charges. It is an open fact that the Godrej Baug Association is the mouth piece of BPP due to the various donations given by BPP to it to hold functions like Vibrations, Nawroz gala, New Years dance, Rain dance etc.
Is the Chairman of BPP Yazdi Desai, so shameless that he still continues to lie about our meeting regarding service charges. For the first time, committee members and activists of almost all BPP Baugs came together on this issue. Thus we had Secretary of Panthaky Baug Welfare Association, Committee member of Multi Storey Bldg. Bharucha Baug, Secretary of Dhunbai Wadi Welfare Association, President of Gamadia Colony Association, President of Khareghat Colony Association and Committee Member of Captain Colony Welfare Association. We further had activists from Khan Estate and Godrej Baug. Thus it will be seen that almost all BPP Baugs were represented by committee members and activists at the meeting held on 25-04-2017. GODREJ BAUG COMMITTEE members also came but now they claim they came on behalf of the Trustees.
It is unbelievable that the chairman so falsely can claim that service charges cannot be charged on basis of area of flat. Yazdi Desai is perhaps not aware that every society in Mumbai charges maintenance on the basis of the area of the flat.
The lies of Yazdi Desai seem to never end. He writes that Service charges include cost of electricity provided on staircases and internal roads and for water pumps but he is not even aware that electricity charges are separately shown in the Income Expense account of every colony. He then blunders that service charges include property tax and water charges without realizing that water charges and property tax are also separately shown as Expenses of that colony. Thus service charges would mean only salary of sweepers, gardeners, pump man and custodian. There is no way that the wages for this workers could amount to Rs. 81 lakhs for year ending 31-03-2016 as shown for Godrej Baug Expense accounts and yet the committee feel it prudent not to question BPP.
Godrej Baug residents pay Rs. 2000/pm service charges and not Rs. 150/pm like most tenants and yet we are also burdened with this increase of Rs. 750/pm due to indifference of our Managing Committee who are more interested in holding various dance functions through BPP sponsorship than the interest of the residents.
But the main issue was the justification or the need for the increases. When it was pointed out in the meeting with Trustees that the BPP has incurred no loss as falsely claimed by Yazdi Desai and actually there was a carried forward income of over Rs.28 crores, to this we were informed that this profit belongs to Wadia Trust and not BPP. Another unfathomable lie by the Trustees.
When all the Wadia Trust properties belong to BPP, it is natural that the funds also belong to BPP. At most its funds can be used as per the objects of Wadia Trust which includes “conveniences for the performance of funeral & other ceremonies, medical relief, education and for such other purposes as the Trustees may consider conducive to their comfort and well being”. Thus under these very objects of the erstwhile Wadia Trust, the funds can be used by BPP to cover their so called loss. Yet the Trustees fail to act in the interest of the beneficiaries as mandated by the Supreme Court.
In fact Mr Gadiwalla of Captain Colony Association even suggested to Yazdi Desai to start allotting flats on Security Deposit to which Yazdi was ambivalent.
It is now confirmed by even Noshir Dadrawalla that BPP has paid Rs.1.5 crores in June 2016 for a Ness Baug 5 RK flat with a view to auction it for Rs. 4 crores plus which is now deliberately objected by only one Trustee. Since Ness Baug is not an original Wadia Trust property, this funds can be used by BPP. Also it was complained that there are many tenants who want to encash their tenancy on 50:50 basis which will earn the BPP a huge sum by way of Refundable Deposit. It is also reported that 2 RK Flat No. R. 27 at Godrej Baug surrendered free by the legal heirs of Dr. Nalladaru is being offered a sum of Rs. 1.5 crores on L.L. Basis as Refundable Deposits but that one Trustee is again adamant on giving it free to one Parsi family rather than help 100 Parsi families with the interest on Rs. 1.5 crores Deposit. That very Trustee insisted on a similar Godrej Baug flat being allotted to his partners nephew for a donation of only Rs. 8 lakhs as against which the outgoing occupant had brought an allottee offering Rs. 60 lakhs for the same flat, causing huge loss to charity.
If income is generated through this Refundable Deposit sources then there will be no need to burden the beneficiaries with any increase. But the ego of one Trustee seems to overpower all other Trustees wishes.
By quoting the Godrej Baug Association letter, it seems that Yazdi Desai only has authored the Association letter. The need of the hour is for all colonies to come together and form a Federation so as to be better able to combat the anti community policies of the BPP.
