The State Bank of India (SBI) is the largest bank in the state, having a presence in almost every district. But it has been struggling to meet the growing demands of its customers. On Saturday, students, public and ordinary citizens took out a rally in Longding, demanding the posting of adequate staff at the SBI branch office there. The people are reportedly facing a lot of problems due to the inadequate number of staff at the branch. Lack of manpower is a serious issue affecting the functioning of the SBI branches across the state.
To make matters worse, the staffers of the SBI are often accused of being very rude and unfriendly to the customers. As most of the government transactions are done through it, the customers are left with little choice. The private banks are customer-friendly and efficient in service, but their presence is limited only to the capital complex and in a few district headquarters. The SBI should learn a lesson from the BSNL, which is on the verge of collapse. Once the most dominant force in the telecom market, today the BSNL and the MTNL are struggling to survive as private players are dominating the market. The SBI should stop taking its customers for granted. It should, in fact, work harder to provide better services to the customers. Though the people are suffering, the SBI authorities seem to be least bothered. Complaints of poor service pour in regularly from various parts of Arunachal Pradesh, but the situation continues to remain the same. This kind of laidback attitude can hurt the SBI in the long run. It’s time the SBI woke up from deep slumber, before it is too late.