ISLAMABAD, July 8: The local administration of Islamabad has decided revamping of its cooperative department with the view to streamline cooperative societies’ affairs, the Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Amir Ali Ahmed told Dawn on Sunday.

Interestingly, the cooperative department of the local administration, which is dealing with 40 cooperative housing societies and other cooperative schemes, is being run only by three officials – a circle registrar, an assistance registrar and an inspector.

“Revamping of cooperative department is on the cards so that it can deal with the relevant issues in a better way and safeguard investment of people in different schemes,” the deputy commissioner said.

Under the plan the cooperative department can be bifurcated into two separate segments – one of which will deal with the issues of cooperative housing societies in Zone-V, the area along Islamabad Expressway and the other will look into the affair of such societies in Zone-II, the area lying on the western side of Islamabad along Grand Trunk Road.

In this connection, more staff will also be inducted in the department and two circle registrars will be put in place to head separate segments of the department.

There are reports that officials of cooperative department of the local administration have made their hegemony and furthered their own interest by arm twisting of managements of cooperative housing societies.

“On many occasions, the officials of cooperative departments do not give approval of different decisions and matters of cooperative housing societies unless their demands

are met,” said an office bearer of Jammu Kashmir Cooperative Housing Society.

A senior official of another cooperative housing society –Federal Government Employees Cooperative Housing Society (FGECHS) said ultimately the members of society/plot owners suffered when officials of cooperative department created hurdles in smooth working of such societies.

The plan of revamping of cooperative department also suggested that there must be some fee on transfer of plots in all cooperative housing societies.

“This fee should be deposited into cooperative department so that it could be used for revamping the department and improving its efficiency,” another official of the local administration said.

The plan further said it should be mandatory for the all societies to get the transfer of any plot registered with the cooperative department and Capital Development Authority (CDA) to discourage fake allotments.

The plan also suggested that there should be a planning wing in the cooperative department which can oversee infrastructure development work in housing schemes.

“Presently the CDA’s planning wing monitors development of cooperative housing schemes and if such department is also established in cooperative department it will help double check the development of such schemes,” the official said.