A special audit by Co-operative Department has brought down curtains for not less than 179 co-operative societies in Himachal Pradesh.

Informing about the action against bogus co-operative societies, Karan Singh, Minister Co-operation, Himachal Pradesh informed the State Assembly that 179 co-operative societies were about to close as major lapses had been found in the societies.

Karan Singh said that the state Co-operative department had found lapses in 311 co-operative societies on different grounds. Responding to a query of  BJP legislator Krishan lal Thakur, Karan Singh said that there were 5097 co-operative societies registered with the department and 311 societies were found guilty of disobeying the rules.

He said that all these 311 co-operative societies had been declared defaulters.

Responding to the issue of Rajpura Co-operative Society, registered under Nalagarh sub-division, Karan Singh told that embezzlement of funds to the tune of Rs 2.39 crore had been found in the societies’ accounts and the department had ordered recovery of funds from the guilty after a thorough probe He said that the embezzlement of funds in the societies’ account were related to accounts between 2004 to 2008 and the guilty Rajinder Singh, the former manager of the society had been identified.

Karan Singh said that the recoveries were being made from the former manager and a recovery of Rs 35.39 lakh had already been made from him. He said that the balance recovery would be made from the accused manager as his 46 bigha land had also been attached by the department.

Accusing government of overlooking affairs of co-operative societies, BJP MlA Rikhi Ram Kaundal alleged that a number of bogus co-operative societies were existing in the state and government was disbursing huge salaries to the secretaries of societies. He alleged that some societies were kept alive just to benefit their secretaries. Kaundal also raised issue of meager salaries to the salesmen working in cooperative societies. On the issue of salary of salesmen, Karan Singh said that that co-operative societies work as per their own constitution and salaries of their salesmen were decided on the basis of financial health of the society and government cannot interfere in this issue.