MARGAO
Hazard a guess why the cellphone of Madgaon Urban Cooperative Bank’s (MUCB) Managing Director has not stopped ringing since August 30, the day when the process for liquidation of the four-decade old Margao-based bank was set in motion by the government-appointed liquidator.
The reason is simple. Hundreds of beleaguered depositors presently staying abroad, especially those having accounts with the branches at San Andre and Benaulim, called up the MUCB Managing Director, Kishor Amonkar, now appointed as a designated Officer by the Liquidator SV Naik, with a one-point objective “ to find out the safety of their deposits and the bank lockers.
If Amonkar received as many as 117 international calls on day one when the Liquidator invited the depositors to submit their claims, he got another 80 calls the following day. Since then, the Designated officer has been receiving around 20-25 calls on an average from the beleaguered depositors staying abroad for the purpose of employment. The international calls are believed to have come, mostly from the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe, besides calls from Australia.
Bank officials say the international calls received by the Bank Designated officer may be just a fraction of the depositors who are presently staying abroad and may find it difficult to return back to Goa to lay claim on their hard earned money and their lockers.
The anxiety of these depositors is understandable considering the fact that the liquidator has set two month-time for the depositors to submit the duly-filled claim forms to the bank. And, the locker holders have time till September 30 to approach the bank to take possession of their valuables stacked in the lockers.
The Designated officer, however, said he has been trying to reassure the beleaguered depositors that they would neither lose their deposits nor the valuables secured in the lockers. “I understand the concern of the depositors as they appeared worried over the time limit for claiming their deposits and the valuables. I tried to reassure them that if possible, try to complete the process by sending the forms signed by them so that the amount can go through their bank deposits”, he said.
Amonkar added: “Though the Liquidator has set two-month time to submit the claim, there is always a solution and the bank can accept the claim forms even after the deadline. But, as far as possible, the depositors should complete the process by sending the duly-filled forms if possible”.
Locker holders, who are having the keys with them, appeared a worried lot. “I have realized that some of the depositors have the locker key with them. Some of them have their valuables in the lockers, while others may not have anything inside”, he said.
Amonkar, however, said the locker holders have been reassured that the officials will open the lockers as per the laid-down procedure, including opening the locker under panchanama and video filming the exercise. We plan to open the lockers in those branches which are operating from rented premises and shift the valuables to the head Branch”, he said.
MUCB’s total depositors are pegged around 56635 and if officials are to be believed, a significant number of them hail from the villages of San Andre, Benaulim, Curtorim and surrounding villages having NRI population and the seafaring community.
Beleaguered officers & staff of
bank seek meet with liquidator
MARGAO: The Madgaum Urban Co-op Bank Officers’ Association and the Madgaum Urban Co-op Bank Employees’ Union have sought an appointment with the Liquidator SV Naik to seek clarification and redressal of a host of issues affecting the Bank Officers and staff.
In the letter, Union Presidet Prasanna Utagi said the appointment has been sought for sorting out all the issues and grievances of the staff members.
The Union sought to know when the arrears of withheld benefits will be released to the employees, pointing out that all the staff members are going through financial and psychological stress as they are shortly going to lose their jobs and face loss of income. “Our staff members are going to face untold problems to meet the needs of the family and upbringing of their children. We request you to consider the dire needs of the staff sympathetically and release all the arrears of the salary without much delay”, the letter stated.The Union also raised the important issue of the circular issued by the Bank MD dated August 23 upon the instructions of the liquidator, insisting that the staff members are full time permanent bank employees, until lawfully the management terminates their services. “We are entitled to all the service benefits as mutually agreed to under the provision of the Bipartite Memorandum of the Settlement signed on July 29, 2010.”, the Union contended.
