Date:03/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/03/stories/2008120354820800.htm

Karnataka

DCC bank for Udupi not now, says ZP chief

Staff Correspondent

Udupi: President of the Udupi Zilla Panchayat and Congress leader Raju Poojary said on Tuesday that he and a majority of the leaders of the cooperatives in Udupi district had only stated that a district central cooperative (DCC) bank for Udupi district was not required at present.

Mr. Poojary was reacting to the charge made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Raghupati Bhat on Monday that Mr. Poojary had opposed the formation of a DCC bank for Udupi.

Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Poojary said that this decision was taken at a special general body meeting called by the South Canara District Central Cooperative (SCDCC) Bank on the directions of the State Government in Mangalore on Monday.

He said a DCC Bank was required to help agricultural cooperative societies which functioned in rural areas. The SCDCC Bank was a healthy DCC bank with a capacity to help agricultural cooperative societies. Global recession was already staring at the world and many banks had collapsed. The formation of a DCC bank would only add to the problems of farmers.

He said that the Brahmavar Cooperative Sugar Factory (earlier in the cooperative sector) had suffered a loss of Rs. 9.8 crore. Of this sum, the factory owed Rs. 4.5 crore to the agricultural cooperative societies.

Though the State Government said that all the dues of the agricultural cooperative societies would be paid, it had still not happened.

He said that Mr. Bhat’s demand that the zilla panchayat should pass a resolution demanding a DCC bank for Udupi was meaningless.

President of the Udupi District Cooperatives Union Kishan Hegde Kolkebail was present.