Bank takes action against erring officials

KOCHI:  The District Co-operative Bank reiterated that the bank has already taken action against the officials responsible for serving a recovery notice on fisherman Nandan of Nayarambalam who had committed suicide. Nandan committed suicide on December 18, 2011, and the recovery notice was sent to him on January 21, 2012. The bank has come up with a clarification after the Kerala Matsyathozhilali Aikyavedi held an agitation. Deputy General Manager K Sreekumar said that the bank had committed a mistake by issuing the recovery notice, but the issue has already been settled. “I don’t understand why some organisations are making a hue and cry over the matter which has already been settled,” he said.Sreekumar said that the notice was issued unintentionally as the bank was fully dependent on a computer-based system. “We have a computerised system and the notice was issued as it showed the overdue amount. However, it should not have happened, and we acknowledge that. But we have already taken action against the responsible staff - the manager and the clerk,” he said. Sreekumar also added that it was just an intimation. “The manager and the clerk, who were responsible for the issue, went to the grieved family in person and repealed the notice which has caused the furore,” he said.Nandan allegedly committed suicide after his attempts to avail benefits from the fishermen drought relief fund did not materialise. This fuelled a huge uproar among the fishermen community and they had kept the body in front of the district co-operative bank, Njarakkal branch, as a protest.