Bank reduces payment centres in Jhang

JHANG: After registration of an FIR against a local bank zonal manager on the charge of less payments to the beneficiary women of the Ehsaas Kifalat Programme, the bank administration has reduced the payment booths at the special distribution centres and started payments from the bank branch. As a result of this action, a large number of aged and sick women were seen standing outside the bank branch to get their stipend money on Monday. Sources alleged that the district administration had no control on the bank affairs and failed to restore bank payments both inside the special distribution centre where proper sitting and drinking water facilities were being provided to the deserving women.

The sources revealed that the bank administration was allegedly involved in maltreating senior citizens especially women by taking advantage of unavailability of monitoring system of the State Bank of Pakistan at the district level.

Earlier, the issue arose when the Kotwali police SHO registered an FIR against the zonal manager of a bank and the Benazir Income Support Programme assistant director on the charges of less payment to a deserving woman by concealing the facts that both officials were not present at the distribution centre. The BISP and the bank senior officers during the meeting with the district administration protested that the said SHO intentionally added their names in the FIR as a revenge as they had exchanged harsh words with him that a day before for not allowing the irrelevant persons to enter inside the centre. To it, the district administration had assigned duties of female schoolteachers to maintain social distance among the visiting women of the distribution centre after increasing complaints against police officials. Sources said that the BISP and the bank administrations had approached the government authorities about the conduct of the SHO and they availed pre-arrest bills from a local court to avoid arrest. As a result, the aged and sick deserving women were paying the price due to the conflict that arose between the officials of different departments. When contacted, BISP Assistant Director Ahmed Murtaza told that his staff was working round the clock to serve the needy persons during the corona lockdown.

DC Tahir Wattoo was not available for his comments. However, Additional Deputy Commissioner General Muhammad Ashraf and Assistant Commissioner Qasim Gil told The News that the distribution process at all centres was functioning properly and all visitors were being provided required facilities. DPO Ahsan Raza Khan and his spokesperson were not available for giving their version.