Guwahati, Oct. 18: The Banking Ombudsman for the Northeast, B.B. Sangma, has expressed dissatisfaction over the inadequate complaints received compared to the number of bank branches in the region.In 2010-11, the ombudsman received 584 complaints which is not satisfactory given that there are 2,645 bank branches in the region. “I am not satisfied with the number of complaints received as compared to the bank branches. The low number of complaints does not mean that customer service in the banks of the region is very good,” Sangma said here today. The office of banking ombudsman in the Northeast has been functioning since June 1996. He said the people in the region do not give their complaints in writing which was one of the major problems. “I have disposed a few complaints over the phone itself as the people were hesitant to give their complaints in writing,” he said, adding that banks have responded positively to complaints over the phone. The RBI had introduced the Banking Ombudsman Scheme in India on June 14, 1995 to provide an expeditious and inexpensive forum to bank customers for resolution of their complaints relating to deficiency in banking services provided by commercial banks, regional rural banks and scheduled primary co-operative banks. The scheme has undergone extensive changes in 2002, 2005 and 2007 and underwent more changes in 2009 whereby the RBI has widened the scope to include deficiencies arising out of Internet banking. A customer will also be able to lodge a complaint against a bank for its non-adherence to the provisions of fair practice code for lenders or the code of bank’s commitment issued by the Banking Codes and Standards Board of India.He said it was mandatory for banks to display the name of the nodal officer dealing with customer grievances and the Banking Ombudsman Scheme with contact details. “We conduct surprise checks and have found that it has been complied satisfactorily. There are, however, no statistics in this regard,” he said. Connectivity and logistics are another set of problems being faced in the region. “A person from a remote place finds it difficult to attend the hearings, which are organised to redress grievances,” he said. Many letters delivered by the office of banking ombudsman come back undelivered.
The Telegraph
