Thane: Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank account holders held a silent protest outside the bank branch in Brahmand, Thane on Sunday.
They threatened to boycott the upcoming assembly election until they get thier money back. They held banners and placards stating, “No Note, No Vote”. The depositors have decided to continue their protest ahead of the state assembly election scheduled to be held on October 21.
The protest, organised under the aegis of PMC Bachaw Forum, by its members Anil Sonawane, Ravi Singh and Vasant Bhadane, was also attended by children and senior citizens.
Thane has seven PMC branches, and nearly 20,000 depositors have their accounts in these branches. Most of the protesters expressed their displeasure against the ruling alliance government.
The former PMC Bank MD, Joy Thomas, and chairman Waryam Singh, have already been arrested by Mumbai Police. Rakesh and Sarang Wadhawan, the promoters of Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL), are also in custody.
One of the protesters, Minala Patil, a doctor by profession, said, “It is hard time for the PMC account holders, as we have no money to travel even by auto.
Due to the restrictions, we cannot withdraw our white money. If the government will not address this bank crises, then the government will face a big loss in the upcoming assembly election,”
Another protester and senior citizen, Ajit mukharji, said he has deposited Rs29 lakh in fixed deposits. He has got nearly Rs19,000 as interest accrued.
He has been a lot of other problems to look into. Ever since the RBI imposed restrictions on bank, my life has turned upside down. I feel so helpless. We will continue our protest until our money is returned.”
