BMC And Bank At Loggerheads

Mumbai : The BMC on Friday demolished a part of a Bank of India (BOI) branch in Dadar over alleged irregularities. While the branch officials maintain that they were not given any intimation of the demolition, the BMC held steadfast to its statement that the bank had been given enough time. On Friday morning, a team of civic officials as well as policemen arrived at the Khodadad circle branch of BOI and asked the officials to show them a space they have been occupying as part of the branch. Originally a part of the building, this space features in the branch’s lease agreement and ground plans and has been part of the branch since its inception in 1978. Initially it housed the branch manager’s cabin while recently the bank had decided to convert it into an e-gallery consisting of an ATM machine, passbook printing machine and cash deposit machine as per RBI guidelines. The furniture inside this room, including tables, chairs, cupboards etc was demolished, leaving behind a pile of rubble. The bank claims that they have suffered losses to the tune of Rs two lakhs.