MARGAO: Even as Curtorim Comunidade announced its decision to join as intervener in the petition filed by Dionisio Sardinha with regards to the Margao Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd, Dionisio demanded that the government immediately ask either the CBI or the Enforcement Department to investigate the matter.
Briefing media persons Dionisio appreciated MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco raising the matter in the Assembly and wondered why the Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat failed to do so. In fact he expressed surprise that Digambar was asking another MLA to speak only about Visionaries and not bring Margao Urban Bank matter.
Dionisio rejected Co-operation Minister Govind Gaude’s contention that the bank is handled by the Reserve Bank of India and Registrar of Co-operative Societies has nothing to do with it and added that RCS audits the bank every year even though none of its auditors attend the annual general body meeting of the bank.
He alleged that the auditors are hand in glove with the bank directors who gave huge rebates to defaulters besides sanctioning loans either without keeping equal collateral or accepting as collateral assets on which loans have already been taken earlier.
With Dionisio stating that Digambar was silent on the matter as most defaulters must be his voters, Menino Fernandes from Benaulim alleged that Kamat was also part of the scam that deprived the poor people of their bank deposits.
Disclosing that they had Rs 84 lakh deposited in the Curtorim branch of the bank besides some fixed deposits, Simon Barretto, Attorney of Curtorim Comunidade said the comunidade will be joining the petition as interveners. “Poor vegetable growers from Curtorim, who mostly belong to the ST or OBC communities, used to deposit their hard-earned money in the bank as it was open on Sunday,” he said. He asked the bank authorities to forget paying the interest as people’s deposit would have accrued but to at least pay back the initial amount deposited by the people.
Stating former MP Ramakant Angle was the chairman of the bank for 30 years of its 48 years existence, Dionisio said his role has to be thoroughly investigated besides that of the current chairman Kishore Nagvenkar.
He disclosed that they had submitted their memorandum to the bank’s managing director. He exuded confidence the Chief Minister would take up the matter seriously even though BJP member Rupesh Mahatme is the bank’s vice chairman.
