From time to time, Parsi Khabar will publish letters it receives from readers on community matters. Below is one such letter sent to us by a regular Parsi Khabar reader Arzan J. Ghadially.
Open Letter to BPP Sr Executive Mr Pheroze Patel
Dear Readers,I humbly request all to spare some time to read this open letter as it concerns the properties of the community managed by the BPP. I wrote many emails to the late Mr. Mehli Colah our ex CEO and to all Trustees, even letters in the community media. Ex CEO never responded even once. Most of the Trustees remained silent. This is so because we sit and read the paper at home but do not make time to respond and make the Trustees accountable hence they don’t bother.Just because we have a roof over our heads we perhaps feel it is not our problem anymore.
Recently, a family left after meeting the Trustees on housing matteron last Tuesday and one of the Trustees commented to another ‘Aaikatlaat karva aavela paacha’. I am tempted to give out the name of the shameless Trustee but I will not do so unless there is rebut. Time to give the Trustees an Appraisal. They make time to meet ZYNG,World Congress, and WZC etc but when a needy person comes to them after waiting outside the Boardroom for hours, the Trustees have no time. If you have a Crore + you will be offered a list of flats but if you are poor, they will make you wait for years.
Do spare some time and email me your views at [email protected] and share with me a happening, an experience, a grievance that you may have against BPP or any employee. Your feedback will go a long way in helping those who need your support. Let’s make a difference. It’s time to give back to the community by lending a helping hand to thosein need. It is time the Trustees learnt that BPP is not all about promoting cronies or about ZYNG, ZYCongress WC. It is about caring and helping the needy and treating them with respect.Have a pleasant weekend and thank you for your patience.
Arzan J Ghadially
Open letter to Mr. Phiroze Patel
Dear Mr Pheroze PatelI welcome your response of June 28, 2014 to my write up of June14,2014 but would have appreciated some honesty and not focus on getting sympathy on selected responses while silent on many.I state that whatever I have been writing in Parsi Times and in emails to the BPP are based 100% on facts. You are also at liberty to initiate legal recourse if you can prove me wrong. I have no hidden agenda. I am merely taking up the cause of all those needy couples and families who are homeless, who keep approaching the BPP and yet no one even bothers to comfort them for they are not as fortunate as you to get free allotments.
Let me clarify point-wise and expose your false claims.
I have never character assassinated or defamed or used derogatory words against your family members in any manner that you say I have crossed all limits compelling you to respond. In fact, your wife wrote a 5 page letter to the BPP (I have a copy) in which she has maligned me in 4 pages of her 5 paged letter. Get your facts right please.
That BPP does not allow brokers is a policy on paper. You say your sister was a small time broker but not brokering BPP flats is not true. She still is a broker. There is no harm in it and I have nothing against your sister. All I ask from you is to admit that she brokers BPP flats with your help which is why you should not be in Housing.You pass on information of empty flats to your sister. Your sister has shown a flat in Gamadia colony in Bldg no7, flat No 8 above Zoroastrian Bank. If she is not a broker for BPP how did she come in possession of the keys to the flat? You were present in one of the meetings and you quoted a figure of 95 lakhs. You also conveyed to the prospective buyer that the figure if shoots up will be informed as all counteroffers come to you. The name of the prospective buyer has been made known to the Board of Trustees.
As regards your claim of an unblemished career of 55 years, let me clear your misconception. You are rude to the BPP staff and to those needy people who come to you on housing matters. Nirlon residents informed me that you and your family stop social programmes and are also rude to children who play in the colony and behave as if you area Trustee. You misuse BPP staff at Nirlon to carry your stuff when you return home. Your daughter does not even use Biometric to mark her attendance at BPP and bulldozes people with ‘My Papa is the CEO’ You show scant respect towards the Trustees barring those who bless you.
I am aware of the well established practice of seniority in posting to vacancies. I am amused at the information you have shared that a CEO’s presence in the Board meeting is to record minutes besides being ‘His master’s voice’. No wonder 20 candidates were rejected though they possessed CEO qualities but not secretarial skills! Senior and loyal staff who are non controversial, unblemished,high level of integrity like Mr. Cawas Panthaky, Mr. Aspi Sarkari & Ms Nilufer Patel can be appointed as interim CEO until a suitable parroted CEO with knowledge of shorthand to minute meetings is appointed.
You talk about your agony and silent sufferings you go through as your cases are not being considered. DO YOU REALIZE THE AGOINY ANDSUFFERING OF THOSE IN NEED TO BE HOUSED WHO COME TO MEET YOU? If only you or your married daughter ‘In laws ‘understood your daughters suffering she would not be staying with her maasi, She would have stayed with her in-laws ownership flat at Tata Blocks or at Salsette or in your 2 bedroom + Hall + Kitchen flat measuring 900 sq ft carpet in which you and your wife reside alone. She is by choice residing with her maasi for their chances of getting an independent accommodation in the near future is sealed if she stayed with you or her in-laws. Don’t educate me on sufferings. I have a record of how many times your papers have come up on the agenda in the BPP.
1. Board meeting of Aug 23, 2011: The application of your son in law and daughter was approved for allotment of a flat at Goregaon.
2. On Feb 22, 2012 the Board approved to allotment, subject to the condition that your son in law and daughter shift to Salsette or Tata Housing Society, Parel on the death of the current occupant of either flat as both are owned by your son in laws parents.
3. On Sept 6, 2012 the Board realized the blunder that your daughters case was one of the 40 rejected by the Charities Commissioner and hence they reversed their approval for fear of a back lash.
4. On April 17, 2013 Your daughter’s case came up for discussions before the Board for allotment for a flat in Panthaky Baug for which the BPP had paid Rs 10 lakhs to an outgoing occupant. Who manipulated the change for allotment from Nirlon to that of Panthaky Baug? You MrPheroze Patel because you hold the Housing portfolio.
5. On May 15, 2013 you submitted an exchange application requesting the Board to allot you a flat in Ownership building, at Panthaky Baug in exchange of your flat at Nirlon, Goregaon which was allotted free.If your genuine reason was difficulty in climbing 3 flrs, you could have requested for a flat on any ground floor flat at Nirlon in Goregaon, why insist at Panthaky Baug? Asking specifically for a free flat in an Ownership Building in Panthaky Baug amounts to gross misuse of power & position.
There are approx 87 applications ‘under exchange’ on medical grounds rotting in BPP and you override all deserving applications push you and your daughters case because you are the Sr Executive. You have sought to manipulate the allotment of flats so that you and your married daughter are accommodated in 2flats at Panthaky Baug FOC
6. In the Board meeting of Oct 1, 2013 you wanted to get the allotment passed since 1 Trustee opposing you was not present and the other was in a hurry to leave.
7. In the Board meeting of Oct 8, 2013 in presence of Trustees you threatened that if your case is not considered for allotment of 2flats you will resign from the BPP. I am ready to face any Trustee who denies you have not made this statement.
Just because you are employed in the BPP does not give you the right to make such demands when there is a shortage of accommodation.Do the Trustees favor other community members in this manner? You have taken the maximum advantage of your position in the BPP.
- Resided in Gamadia Bldg no 1.
- Moved to Fakhri Manzil at Nana Chowk.
- Shifted to a 2 room Kitchen flat at Panthaky Baug.
- Moved to Malcolm Baug in Jogeshwari
- Moved to Nirlon at Goregaon in a 2 Room + Hall + Kitchen flat
- Again applied to shift to Panthaky Baug under exchange in a ownership flat.
- Applied for daughter to be accommodated in Panthaky Baug FOC.
You are surviving in BPP not due to your clear conscience but because you are protected. If you are truly an unblemished person,step down from your position, request the BPP to conduct an enquiry and if innocent reclaim your position. That is unblemished integrity.
I am now going to touch upon a topic that you have most avoided “Your Resignation”. Prima facie you never placed your resignation to the Board but only discussed it over with a Trustee. Even your wife was not aware of this and so you stood exposed when she wrote to all the Trustees and requested them to relieve you from the CEO post on medical grounds. THIS WAS A SHOCKER. If your intention was to genuinely resign you would have placed it in the Board meeting, served your notice period and left the BPP.
Instead you gave it to the Trustee who seeks your continuation and hence the drama. I pity your wife. She trusted you when you told her that Trustees are not accepting your resignation when you had not even placed it before Trustees.
As a member of the community I will pursue the Trustees to fully investigate this matter that it has shamelessly ignored till date and will not be intimidated by threats or anyone going in a coma. This is a reasonable request. If you are innocent I would publicly apologize for the grief caused by me to you. I am not against you or any of your family members but I am against any Employee / Consultant of the BPP misusing or milking the BPP.
It is time for them to move on and make way for youngsters as it would open up employment. It was not my intention to pen this open letter but your response has compelled me.The BPP is not anyone’s personal property.It is a Trust meant to house and look after the needy and Trustees being the custodians, not the owner.
You misused power & position as a Housing Executive and shamelessly flaunted policies and took favours for services rendered. Poor people are made to wait for years while you and your family keep changing flats for free. What an unblemished career.Thank you for your time, and a request. Instead of responding please introspect. The more you make people dig, more is the dirt.
Arzan J Ghadially.
Mr. Ghadially, My object is to know from you the following facts:1) Is Fakhri Manzil a B.P.P. Building.?
2) Is a resignation letter to be typed out 1 plus and circulated?
3) Is Patel the only person who has benefited in this manner?
4) You talk about Cawas Panthaky. Do you know that this person sold off his ownership flat at Haji Ali after joining B.P.P?. I have no love lost for P.D. Patel or any body but would not like pick and choose policy to point out flaws. I agree that if Patel has problems climbing 3 floors, he can as well shift to a ground or first floor flat in Nirlon itself. or in another building in Nirlon with a lift.
Secondly, if his sister is doing broking for BP.P. flats what steps other Trustees took for last six years? To the best of my knowledge, flats are auctioned and the broker has negligible role to play in just showing the flat.Not that this is an apology for such nepotism.
Now coming to the flat to be given to Patel’s daughter. Just assume that Patel Sr was not in employment of BPP. Would the daughter as a BPP Staff not been entitled to a flat?
If the daughter is not using her Biometric card to register her attendance, what steps other Trustees have taken?
As I said, my reason for these questions is to impart better objectivity to the expose without adding needless spice like case of Fakhri Building which to the best of my knowledge is not owned by BPP.
Dear Mr Khoreman,
I will clarify your points in order.
1. No. The resignation is usually addressed to the Chairman under CC to all the Trustees or if they have an HR dept it is adressed to to the, He did neither and gave it to a Trustee who did not want him to go. It is crysal clear. He never intended to resign.
2. Yes he has benifitted most because of the Housing portfolio he handles. Thera are others too and you or any reader is free to provide details which can be taken up.
3. You knew about Cawas. What did you do? Sit on it. Did you write to the BPP ? Unless peole dont come forward sich practises will continue. I welcome such information. People came forward and share.Dont wait for others.I got information on Mr Phroze Patel and i placed it before the BPP and the community. If you read carefully i have said i am against any employee or consultants that milk the BPP. His case is important because he misused his position for personal gains. He manipulated his allotmant. Not all flats are auctioned. You information is incorrect.
4.NO. she would have never got an allotment. Her in laws have 2 flats on ownership and her parents live in a 2 bedroom + Hall + kitchen flat. Had you been a Trustee, would you have still given her a flat when there are so many couples who dont even have a 1 room kitchen flat or a roof over their head. On the Biometric issue. My concern is the same as yours which only the BPP can answer.
I am not adding any spice my friend. I have stated facts. For that matter even Malcom Baug is not a BPP property. The purose of the details of his house was to give a clear picture as to one person can change so many houses BPP or non BPP properties is not important.
I find your objections very selectve in favor of Phiroze but thats my personal opinion.
Regards
Arzan
The building in which Panthaki is having flat is a BPP owned one is known as Hongkong House.
Dear Mr. Khoremaan D Motafram
Dear Mr. Arzan Ghadially
This is in context of ‘Parsi Khabar’ on 4th July 2014 on Net (in a trail of an Open Letter to B.P.P. Sr. Executive, Mr. Pheroze Patel) referred to by one of my friends as due to lack of time, I do not read this site.
Presently, (that is since December 1st 2002) I am staying in a Building named Hongkong House, situated in Malcolm Baug, Jogeshwari (West), Mumbai 400 102, which is governed by N. M. Wadia Charities whose Office is in Wadia Building, 1st Floor, (below Ripon Club), Fort, Mumbai 400 001. This flat is on Leave and License basis and stands in the name of my wife Mrs. Kaitie Cawas Panthaki.
Prior to that, I was staying in Dev Chaya Co-operative Housing Society Limited, Flat No.46, Haji Ali, Mumbai 400 034. This flat originally belonged to my father-in-law, Late Mr. Minocher Jamshedji Pavri and after his demise in July 1998, the occupancy was transferred to the name of my wife.
I joined the B.P.P. on 8th March 2004 much after relocating at Malcolm Baug.
This reply is furnished with a view to place the record straight.
For further clarifications, if any, required please contact me over E-Mail [email protected]
Yours faithfully,
C.S.Panthaki
Sr. Executive
Bombay Parsi Punchayet
Dear Mr Cawas Panthaky,
Thank you for your clarification. My opinion about your sincereity and intergrity still stands.
Dear Mr Khoreman,
Mr Cawas Panthaki has not misused his position or obtained any house from the BPP hence i do not see what you are trying to get at. In Phiroze Panthaky’s case he has misused power and position and obtained accomodations by indulging in manipulation,favoritism and groupism. He thought that by supporting someTrustees he can get away with anything and bullyboss the staff. The equation has changed, Tables have turned. If Phiroze is taken back in the event the Trusrees raech a compromise. My fight against such paratsites will continue even if i have to approach the Charity Commisioners office or come out strongly in public domain. He has to resign gracefully before others protecting him also get engulfed, Why is he being protected by some when the entire BPP staff and majority of the Trustees know about his behaviour and conduct?
Regards
Arzan J Ghadially