Srinagar, Apr 26: Kashmir Traders and Manufactures’ Federation (KTMF) has expressed dismay over State Bank of India’s decision to shift its Regional Office from Srinagar to Jammu, appealing Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene in the issue.
 President KTMF, Muhammad Yaseen Khan in a statement said the state government should intervene and stop shifting of the office.
 Notably, the decision to shift the administrative control of all its branches in south Kashmir districts to Jammu has attracted a lot of flak from the bank's customers, traders, industrialists and the general public here.
 The customers of the bank in south Kashmir districts of Islamabad (Anantnag), Shopian, Pulwama and Kulgam had alleged that the decision of the SBI authorities to create a separate regional office for these branches in the state's winter capital would cause hardships to the public.
 Khan said: “It is unfortunate that the Bank has decided to shift its regional office to Jammu. It could seriously affect the investor confidence in the Valley.”
 To mention, in a recent decision, the country's premier bank decided to create a separate regional office for the administrative control of the bank's branches in the Ladakh region and districts of Shopian, Pulwama, Islamabad (Anantnag) in the Valley and Doda district of the Jammu region.
 Pertinently, the Zonal Office of the Bank which was operating in Srinagar till 1990 was shifted to Jammu on the onset of turmoil in the Valley.
 However, even as the condition has improved in Kashmir, the office has not been shifted back to Srinagar.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:00 IST