Cooperative bank corruption in Odisha: Depositors fall at DRCS’ feet to get back money

Fed up with the officers of Balasore-Bhadrak Central Cooperative Bank Ltd near Panapana village making them doing rounds of the bank to get back their money, some depositors on Friday fell at the feet of the Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, supplicating for his intervention. 

As per sources, some of the depositors of Balasore-Bhadrak Central Cooperative Bank Ltd near Panapana village staged a demonstration at the office of the Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, demanding their hard-earned money back. 

They alleged they have unsuccessfully been doing the rounds of the bank after reports of alleged corruption in the bank surfaced. “I had deposited my hard-earned Rs 1 lakh in a fixed deposit account of Panapana Cooperative Bank, hoping to get Rs 4,000 interest annually.

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After a year when I wanted to withdraw my interest money, they persuaded me not to do so. Six years have passed, but I am yet to get my money. To get our money back, some of the depositors and I staged a demonstration at the DRCS office,” said an affected depositor. 

“I had deposited some money I saved by working as a domestic help. Meanwhile, I have met with two accidents. For treatment, I wanted to withdraw my money but they refused to pay me,” said an affected woman depositor.

(Reported by Chandrakant Jena)