MLA Bhat Meets CM Omar Abdullah, Seeks Separate JK Bank Zone for Bandipora

Convener News Desk

Bandipora, February 12: The demand for a separate zone for JK Bank has gained momentum as lawmaker from Bandipora Nizamuddin Bhat raised the issue with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday.

While JK Bank claims to have brought banking services right to the doorsteps of the people, the management has put the population of 4 lakh people of Bandipora district in despair by surprisingly aligning its branches with Budgam zone and Ganderbal cluster last year.

Kashmir Convener was first to report about the issue leading to severe criticism against JK Bank over the unnatural zoning and alignments.

Following the outcry, MLA Nizamuddin Bhat on Wednesday said he personally met the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and handed over the grievance letter to him to seek his personal intervention in getting the separate zone for Bandipora.

According to Bhat, he raised the issue with the Chief Minister in the presence of the Chief Secretary, highlighting the inconvenience caused to Bandipora’s residents due to the unnatural realignment of JK Bank’s zonal and cluster offices.

He emphasized that the decision to shift Bandipora branches under Budgam Zone and Ganderbal Cluster had placed an unnecessary burden on customers, particularly loan and subsidy seekers, forcing them to travel long distances.

“The decision has put Bandipora customers, especially those seeking financial assistance, under immense hardship. It is also likely to impact the bank’s business,” Bhat stated in a letter addressed to the Chief Minister (a copy of which is available with Kashmir Convener), urging his immediate intervention to restore a separate zone and cluster within Bandipora.

Following the appeal, Bhat said, Chief Minister Abdullah promptly directed the Chief Secretary to examine the matter and take necessary steps at the earliest.

Last year the issue sparked widespread outrage among political leaders, business communities, and civil society members, who have termed the move as unjust and detrimental to the economic activities of the district.

Several other politicians, including former ministers Naeem Akhtar, Usman Majid and ex-legislator Yasir Reshi besides trade union leaders, have strongly opposed the decision and demanded its reversal.

Locals said the impact of this unjust decision is that for an educated unemployed youth or a businessman living in Tulail, he has to travel more than 200 kilometers to get his file approved at zonal office Budgam and then has to travel 50 more kilometers to reach the cluster office in Ganderbal before returning back to his home. This he has to do several times (as per the past experiences) before his file gets approved.

While the Bandipora district was demanding a separate cluster and zone in the district, local residents said, the JK Bank conducted a ‘surgical strike’ on the residents by shifting it further far from them in Budgam and Ganderbal.

This is despite the fact that Bandipora branches are the best performing branches of JK bank with least NPA account as compared to other districts. “Besides the deposits of the people of Bandipora are all lying with JK Bank,” said a senior businessman of the district alleging that despite reposing trust in JK Bank, people of Bank have always received a step-motherly treatment from the JK Bank management.

Earlier Bandipora district was aligned with Baramulla Zone and people were demanding a separate zone for the district.

In a circular issued on June 30, 2024 General Manager S&IT Imtiyaz Ahmad Bhat said the bank has initiated various measures to attain greater efficiency and productivity in operations and as part of this initiative, Bank has opened new cluster offices streamlining the business operations. However surprisingly the branches of Bandipora district have been mapped with Cluster Office Ganderbal under zone Budgam leaving the customers of Bandipora in shock.