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In a move that has raised eyebrows in some quarters, it is understood that the Govandi Branch of the State Bank of the public sector has changed its weekly from Sunday to Friday, effective December 1.
A notice to the effect was posted outside the branch building this week and the move is claimed to be aimed at facilitating the local minority population living in and around Govandi, a northeastern suburb.
Despite repeated attempts, senior SBI officials were not available to comment on the potentially controversial decision, which was taken at local levels.
As per the notification, come December 1, SBI Govandi Branch will remain closed on all Fridays, and 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month.
From Sunday to Thursday, business hours will be normal – 10 am – 4 pm daily – as stated in the announcement.
Dissatisfaction was expressed in some quarters that even the SBI Millenium Branch in Dadar would follow suit, but branch officials on Tuesday completely denied the allegations.
Incidentally, branches of some other banks in the city and some other parts of the country also offer a half-day operation on Sundays — which is compensated by all Saturdays as a holiday for the convenience of the local population.
The Govandi SBI branch’s move has sparked strong reactions on social media with objections to Friday’s closure to meet the “demands of the local demographics”, and calls for regional coordination for unity in the respective areas.
Banking circles noted that in the digital age, when most banking functions are done online, “weekly holidays or public holidays mean little” as banking operations continue regardless of calendar dates.
— IANS
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(Only the title and image of this report may have been updated by Standard Business staff; the rest of the content was self-generated from a consolidated feed.)
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