Hundreds of people, including bank accountholders, pensioners, and other cutomers on Monday staged a demonstration in front of SBI, Sanpur branch here protesting the shifting of the branch from the locality.
The agitators termed the move as illegal and said a PIl has been filed in the Odisha High Court in this regard.
Sources said the bank has been running smoothly and effectively in a rented house for last 25 years while people of different localities and gram panchyats like Sanpur, Sanra, Gopalpur, Taradapada, Peteipur, Biritola and other panchyats are getting the banking facilities smoothly.
The locals stated that the relocation of the bank from Sanpur to Majurai village is arbitrary. They stated that as many nationalised bank branches and a SBI branch are functioning in Majurari, there is no reasonable reason to shit the Sanpur branch to Majurai.
They alleged that Majurai area is not at all safe for the bank staff and beneficiaries as the area witnessed dacoit, chain snatching, hurling of bomb and other antisocial activities in recent past.
Protesting against the relocation of the bank, Pensioner Holders’ Association
president Dhaneswer Shaoo and four others have filed a PIl in the High Court on Friday praying a stay order on the move.
Sahoo alleged higher authorities of the SBI have taken huge amount of money as bribe from a section of people for shifting of the bank and closedown of the bank ATM.
Bank Branch Manager Nimbai Hansada admitted that the newly indentified location for the branch would not be a safe place for bank staff as the place is a lonely one.