UCO Bank opens ‘lockless’ branch in temple town

The United Commercial (UCO) Bank has opened the country’s first ‘lockless’ branch at Shani Shingnapur in Maharashtra, even as the Centre has made hitech security mandatory for all nationalized and private sector banks. Shani Shingnapur is a small town in Ahmednagar district whose presiding deity is Lord Shani. More than 5,000 devotees visit the temple every day, while on weekends the number crosses the 1 lakh mark.  “We took note of the general belief and faith of the people. Ever since the most revered temple came into existence several years ago, the village has not witnessed a single crime. In fact, all houses in the entire village have no doors. We took the risk and started the lockless bank a week ago,” a senior bank official said. Our branch has doors, but they will never be locked. Adequate precautions are being taken for the safety of lockers and important documents,” he said, adding that the UCO branch is planning to start an ATM near the temple.  On local sentiment, Gadakh said that, by and large, it is believed that because of Lord Shani’s power, the village has not witnessed a single theft or robbery in the recent past. “People here fear that if there is a theft or robbery, then the culprit and their family have to bear the wrathof Lord Shani,” he said.  Unhappy local police officials said the branch has been started in blatant violation of norms prescribed by the Centre. “In view of increasing bank robberies, the Centre has made it mandatory for all banks to provide state-of-the art security. If a bank opens a lockless branch, then it amounts to a breach of conditions. We will take it up with the DGP and RBI,” a senior police official said.