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CHIEF  MANAGER  OF  PUNJAB  NATIONAL   BANK  DIES   DURING  MANAGER'S   MEETING

 by

 

Rajesh Goyal, Executive Consultant

 

 

We are receiving reports that Mr. Shambhu Sharan Singh, Chief Manager of Punjab National Bank posted in Midnapore circle died during a Manager's meeting.

 

Reports indicate that Mr Singh died due to massive heart attack during the meeting at Deegha, West Bengal, which was being chaired by Field General Manager (Mr Pankaj Bhardwaj) and Circle Head (Mr SS Mahapatra). 

 

(We would welcome if anybody who was present in such a meeting can send the first hand version of the happenings to us for uploading.  We would also welcome if officials of PNB wants their version to be uploaded here.   We would prefer to upload both the versions on the same page so that readers can themselves decide about the true facts.   Send such details at allbankingsolutions@gmail.com ).

 

If Mr Singh has died due to such abuse by his seniors, then it is really a matter of great concern. Manager's meetings now a days, across the banking industry,  are  becoming  a platform to abuse the incumbent bankers on one issue or the other.   When you talk across the banking industry, most of the middle level officers will be able to give number of instances where they have either personally faced the wrath or some of their colleagues have been badly abused by either General Managers, Executive Director or CMD.

 

Number of times such top management bankers try to settle their score in the Manager's meeting with the officers who are honest but have failed to toe their line in sanction of loans or suppressing of NPAs  etc.   They draw great pleasure in abusing Managers who do not regularly butter them.    Some of them adopt these tactics so that the people are afraid to discuss / point out about the corruption being indulged by seniors.   Moreover,  by using such abusive language, they want to send a strong message that manager's who will fail to work as per their wishes are likely to meet similar fate in the next meeting. 

 

Anybody who is aware of the working in the banking, will vouch that they have heard about numerous instances where even CMDs and Executive Directors (acorss the banking industry) have used all kinds of abusive languages against even senior officers like General Managers and Deputy General Managers.   Such behavior of the top brass encourages the corrupt lower level functionaries also to behave in similar fashion with his / her junior staff.   Thus, the chain continues and this vitiates the whole atmosphere across the banking industry.

 

Will the concerned Bank have the courage to take action against the errant officials or it will be hushed up?   The family members needs to obtain legal opinion whether  FIR  can be lodged in such a case. 

 

 

Suggestion of AllBankingSolutions.com :

 

We at AllBankingSolutions.com strongly condemn such behaviour of the top brass of the banks across the banking industry, and would like that a Code of Conduct needs to be developed for Manager's meeting by IBA.  Nobody, howsoever powerful he / she may be,  should be allowed to go beyond the limits in using the fowl language in the open forums.   It is a case of violation of the human rights i.e. to serve with dignity.  Finance Minister needs to take note of such incidents.

 

Although, a number of readers may not agree with us, but we are of the strong view that to start with, the Board of each Bank should form a Committee at Head Office level to deal with the abusive behaviour by regional heads / zonal heads / circle heads / GMs / EDs / CMDs in open forums like Manager's review meetings.    The Committee should have at least two Directors (except CMDs / EDs )  as its members, one official from association / union, one member from Ministry of Finance, one member from RBI.   All complaints of abuse during the meeting should be dealt by this Committee.  

The said Committee can meet once a quarter to review the complaints received by them.   In case complaints of misbehavior are received on more than two occasions for the same officer, then it should be made compulsory that the proceedings of the all meeting chaired by him / her, are recorded on camera.  (Now a days the recording of proceedings is very easy and it is also not costly at all as most of the Regional offices / circle offices  / Zonal offices have IT infrastructure in place for such recordings).     We hope if such a policy is adopted by each bank, soon the abuse of  middle level / senior officers will drastically get reduced.   This will also certainly help in reducing the corruption in banking industry.