5,000 complaints against banks in Bihar,Jharkhand in 2015-16

Patna, Aug 19 (PTI) Over 5,000 complaints were filedagainst various banks in Bihar and Jharkhand during 2015-16, a12.27 per cent rise over last year’s 4,456 complaints. Out of these 5,003 complaints, 3,441 were received fromBihar and 1,284 from Jharkhand and 278 from other areas, SmitaChandramani Kumar, Banking Ombudsman of Bihar and Jharkhand,told reporters. "Others areas" mean the complainant is not from Biharor Jharkhand but the bank concerned is located in either oftwo states. The maximum number of complaints were received against SBIand its associates (2,247), while 2,023 complaints were madeagainst other nationalised banks (2023), 337 against privatebanks (337) and the rest against other banks. At a press meet on the occasion of the release ofBanking Ombudsman’s ‘Annual Report 2015-16’, Kumar saidcomplaints relating to pension issues and ATM, debit or creditcards constituted a major portion of the total number of thecomplaints. During 2015-16, the Banking Ombudsman Office, Patnahandled 5,128 complaints, which included 125 pendingcomplaints. Out of these 5128 complaints, 5,035 were disposedof, while 93 complaints remained pending as on June 30, 2016. Kumar said her office has been creating awareness aboutthe Banking Ombudsman among the public especially in rural andand semi-urban areas so that they can approach it forredressal of their grievances relating to deficiency inbanking services. Seven such awareness programmes were organised at variousplaces of Bihar and Jharkhand. A customer with grievance can write letters or e-mails tothe Ombudsman or file complaint online, she said. However, Kumar said, a customer must approach theOmbudsman only after he/she did not receive any reply from thebank concerned within 30 days of making application. There are 27 grounds on which an aggrieved customercan file complaints to the Ombudsman. The grounds includenon-payment or non-realization of draft, cheque, non-paymentor inadequate payment of interest etc. PTI AR NNABI