Newindpress

Udupi, Mar 30: With the BJP also demanding a separate District Central Co-operative (DCC) Bank for Udupi district, the issue has gained political turn.

While the district unit of the JD(S) has been repeatedly making the demand of carving out a separate DCC Bank for some ‘unknown gains’, the meeting of the Udupi District BJP, held recently, also resolved to pressurise the government under the leadership of the District In-charge Minister and the MLAs to form a separate DCC Bank.

Speaking at the meeting, BJP leaders Katapady Shankar Poojary and M Somashekhar Bhat said that in most of the new districts, DCC banks had been formed and Udupi had been neglected.

Replying to this newspaper, on the need for a separate DCC Bank, Katapady Shankar Poojary said, ‘‘the formation of new DCC Bank would make way for new co-operative leadership.

‘‘Moreover, it is our right to have our own DCC Bank. A DCC office in the district head quarters can concentrate well on the need of farmers and create more job opportunities“, he said.

‘‘In fact, the co-operative movement in the district needs fresh breath. Because many co-operatives, once become leaders will turn out to be self- centred,’’ Poojary said adding that the benefits of farm loan could not be reaped by the farmers of the district.

Responding on the issue, Udupi District Congress President M A Gafoor opined that the Congress had made the demand for separate DCC Bank during the formation of Udupi District itself.

‘‘It’s been a long time, our demands have not been met. An exclusive DCC Bank for Udupi district will surely help the farmers in this region,’’ Gafoor said, adding that the South Canara DCC Bank (including Udupi) had been working satisfactory. Replying to this newspaper, President of SCDCC Bank, M N Rajendra Kumar said that he would neither object nor demand a separate DCC Bank for Udupi district.

The government could go according to law.

‘‘In fact, carving out a separate DCC Bank requires approval from the NABARD and the RBI. Though, the district of Bangalore Rural was carved out around 20 years back, it does’t have a separate DCC Bank. Likewise, many districts do not have their own DCC Banks,’’ Rajendra Kumar added.