Shocking And Unjust Behavior By BPP Trustees!

With respect to the article of our trustee Mr. Kersi Randeria, in Parsi Times dated 29th May, 2021, we are shocked to learn that the BPP trustees are in favour of those 14% who have not paid their dues, and have asked the custodians to accept rent from those who have defaulted since years and not paid their monthly increase of Rs 750/- in rent!! This act of the trustees is unfair!! What about those 86% who have paid that amount???

So, over here might is right! They challenged the BPP and today the trustees have decided to waive off that substantial amount! I would request that either the BPP recovers this amount from them or gives us a refund for the same. These double standards of the trustees protecting their stooges should stop and in all fairness a policy should be adopted. Either you take this increase from all the residents or refund the money to those who have paid. 

Of course, the less unfortunate are exempt and I am not talking of those who the BPP have exempted from this. But those who have deliberately not paid and have gotten away scot free! I ask the trustees to please get them to pay the said outstanding amount that would still reflect in their books of accounts. Here we are given to understand the BPP had no money to pay the May salaries of its employees and on the other hand, we have trustees who are willing to forego this huge outstanding amount from those residents who have defaulted!

– Sharukh Bilimoria

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Total Mismanagement at BPP!

With reference my article in Parsi Times (27.06.20) about many occupants of Colonies who have honestly and sincerely paid Rs 750 per month as service charges since 2017, while there are others who have blatantly defied the BPP and not paid the Service Charges, terming it as illegal, based on media reports in Public domain. 

BPP Trustee Viraf Mehta had replied that the matter would be discussed in the BPP Board meeting and that he would revert.

From September 2020, the Service Charges were waived citing Covid as the reason for waiver. However, there are many who have still not paid this monthly Service charge amount of Rs 750, till date (2017 till August 2020) and the BPP has made no effort to recover the amounts in any manner whatsoever. Not a single reminder, nor a legal notice – to the best of my knowledge has been sent to these defaulters.

Being a CA, BPP Trustee Xerxes Dastur should have taken the lead to recover the amounts. We do not have any qualified accountant at the BPP with an exposure for checks and balances. As a result, there are those who paid for 3 years and those who have still haven’t! Today, those who have paid honourably are the sufferers, while those who have not paid are not being asked to pay up!

The Trustees are hereby called upon to explain this anomaly in the interest of transparency. Why this laid-back attitude to recoveries without using the Covid pandemic as an excuse. This has only resulted in further losses to the BPP. And the BPP’s losses are in Crores.

There is also another issue which is being over looked. There are those like me who have paid in advance the Occupancy Charges for the whole year from April, 2020 to March 2021. Therefore effectively, we are due the refund of Service charges that has now been waived for the period of 7 months, from September 2020 to March 2021. This equals to Rs 5,250/-, the credit for which is to be given in the financial year 20-21 itself and the credit balance adjusted against the receipt raised in April 2021. 

When I contacted the custodian of Godrej Baug for adjustment, he informed me that the changes of the reduced Rs 750 have not been incorporated in the system and the Trustees have not taken a call hence no credit balance for this is in the March closing.

This also means that in BPP books from Sept 2020 till March 21 will show a debit balance of Rs 5,250 against each occupant as arrears when there is no arrears (due to the waiver). The BPP needs to come clean on this. In the Financial closing on March 31, 2020, how has this been taken care of? What are the Auditors doing???

Finally, the BPP has till date made no attempt to recover dues from those who have not  paid the Rs 750 hike since 2017, in which case the BPP has to refund each occupant who has honestly paid the increased service charge – an amount calculated at the rate of Rs 750 per month, from 2017 to Aug 21. They may do so by writing a letter requesting a legitimate refund. The request serves as an official document for refund.  

There is no uniformity in the system of rent collections since start of pandemic, resulting in loss of revenue. No proper accounting systems are in place. I am surprised how the Auditors have not observed and pointed this from 2017 till date! There is no transparency and Trustee Xerxes had promised in his manifesto that accounting will be transparent with nothing hidden and anyone is free to inspect books of accounts!!! 

The BPP is in the red on account of complete mismanagement of funds. All 7 Trustees are answerable for this mess and should do so publicly through this legitimate weekly.

– Arzan J Ghadially

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