Citizens of several administrative circles in Mon district
have appealed to the State Bank of India to open a branch in Tobu headquarters
considering the distance and the difficulties the local populace face in
availing banking facilities and transacting business.
Leaders of Konyak Union units besides the Tobu Students’ Union issued a joint statement on Monday making the appeal. The statement was addressed to the assistant general manager of the SBI of Mokokchung district.
The request to the SBI to open an SBI branch at Tobu is a joint demand from communities from Mon district’s three administrative circles namely the extra assistant commissioner of Mopung, SDO (civil) of Monyakshu and Additional deputy commissioner of Tobu, the organizations stated.
The demand to the authorities had been consistent since it emerged in 2008, and that many years have passed by, the statement said. They lamented that no concern had been shown thus far by and the people of said regions had been “kept in doom, away from availing the benefits of banking facilities for many decades,” the organizations stated.
“As far as the government of India and banking policies are concerned, priority is given to bank the unbanked areas, reaching out to the rural population for economic upliftment (sic) and development. It is known, and as instructed, there must be a bank in a place where there is a population of more than 5000,” the groups stated.
The statement explained:
“Where, in contrast, the sub-division of Tobu ADC headquarter with a population of 57,703 (2011 census), 26 recognized villages (latest extract), 22 state government departments with DDO powers, 3 central government departments, 45 government schools and a higher secondary school, 9 private schools, 8 goevrnment dispensaries, 5 government hospitals and numerous business establishments and as many Self-Help Groups are functioning without a bank till date.”
The organizations complained that distance was more than a hurdle for the local population. The statement stated: “The nearest bank available is located at a distance of 95 kilometers which is SBI Aboi branch and maximum banking transactions are done at SBI Mon branch which is at a distance of 135 kilometers and more than 170 kilometers from the extreme villages of Tobu sub-division causing numerous hardships and difficulties to the government employees, students, business establishment and the general public of Tobu sub-division to carry on their day-to-day banking transactions.”
At this point of time, they said, inaccessibility to banks has ‘become a big hindrance for every developmental activity which is a matter of serious concern as the people of this region are meted with anti-national treatment.’
“Every favorable policies, projects and schemes implemented by the Govt. of India for the upliftment of the people, be it for social, educational, economical, etc., all poved (sic) to be a nightmare for the people as they are directly linked with a bank and no bank exists here.”
The statement also said that a meeting of the ‘SLBC’ on June
22, presided over by Pankaj Kumar, the chief secretary of Nagaland, had ‘allotted’
an SBI branch to be set up at Tobu headquarter. The move was in consideration
of the difficulties faced by the people of Tobu sub-division and “having known
the fact that 99% of this region has an account in the State Bank of India,”
the organizations stated.
“But, till date, nothing has come to reality as expected from the concerned bank. It is to be noted that the survey to establish a bank branch has already been conducted twice, wherein, it is hoped and believed that positive and viable report was submitted to the concerned authority. It is felt that conducting surveys again and again will have no further meaning and will only delay the process when the viability report has been already submitted.”
Having stated their points of concern, the community organizations have stated that setting up an SBI branch at Tobu was a public demand.
The unions stated: “It is the people’s demand and should not be politicized in any form and must not be considered a personal issue with a keen individual interest, remaining reluctant to the hue and cry of the public needs. As such, on behalf of the Tobu sub-division public, it is once again earnestly and whole-heartedly requested to the concerned authority to take up the matter on priority by setting up the bank at the earliest where the full cooperation of the public is assured and will be ensured for the smooth functioning of a bank.”
The population has hoped that the SBI’s considerate view of said demand would be accorded positive response. It will give the people of the said region “an equal opportunity to avail the benefits of banking facilities like rest of the citizens and to let us be a part of total financial inclusion programme of the country in general,” the Konyak Union units and the Tobu Students’ Union added in their statement.
(Al Ngullie, June 6, 2016; Eastern Mirror)
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