TURA: A novel idea mooted by the East Garo Hills deputy commissioner to try and expand the banking system into the rural areas and ease the problems faced by villagers could soon be a reality with efforts being made to set up Automated Teller Machines cash counters and bank passbook update machines in the premises of government community and development blocks in the district.
Deputy Commissioner Swapnil Tembe has written to the branch managers of all banks operating in the Garo Hills region to come up with the cash counters (ATMs) and passbook update machines in the three blocks of the district, namely Samanda, Songsak and Rongjeng where there is not a single ATM machine and villagers have to travel all the way to district headquarters Williamnagar.
The letter by the deputy commissioner pointed out to the bank officials that since all the development blocks happen to have a functional police station in its vicinity all security concerns could be addressed as well.
He brought it to the notice of the banking fraternity that people from the village areas are being compelled to travel long distances to Williamnagar town just to withdraw money and update their savings accounts.
Citing an example, the deputy commissioner mentioned about the plight of senior citizens who have to spend three hundred rupees just to head to Williamnagar to collect their old age pension of five hundred rupees which in itself reveals the plight of rural banking and the apathy of banking institutions towards the rural areas of the district.