66 Sonali Bank branches at security risk

Niaz Mahmud, DHAKA, Feb 3: Sixty six branches of state-owned Sonali Bank have been remaining at severe security crisis. The banks however, are depositing thousands crores of taka of consumers.

 

The Somali Bank management of those branches instructed to beef up chest security measures following the recent burglary that took place at a branch of Kishorganj Sonali Bank.

 

Sources concerned said, after taking place the incident in Kishorganj, the central bank of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Bank, however, expressed grave concern over ensure securities of the branches specially in the remote areas.

 

The Bangladesh Bank meanwhile, directed to ensure security of the bank volts but the directives were not followed fully as per rules of Bangladesh Bank, sources said.

 

It is known that, the state-run Sonali Bank have been operating 1,180 branches across the country while most of the branches are not well equipped with fire arms and adequate security measures.

 

The branches also have been facing crisis of skilled security guards and even modern volts.

 

Many branches have been equipped with fire arms, but those could not be used due to lack of adequate skilled manpower.

 

According to the sources of Central Bank, 66 branches of Sonali bank have been equipped with chest branch where currencies of different government and non-government offices have been deposited.

 

Out of those 66 branches, 25 branches have been operating their operation in rented buildings which were not equipped with enough security forces and security arms, sources said.

 

Talking to this correspondent, a Bangladesh Bank General Manager (Currency) Md. Saiful Islam said, only Sonali Bank was given approval as chest branch management.

 

The Bangladesh Bank gave permission to those Sonali bank branches after maintaining a number of security indexes.

 

Without prior approval of local public works department, fire service and civil defense department, local police station, no permission of opening chest banking was given.

 

But many branches were given such approval to open chest branch based on local demand, sources said.

 

Officials of engineering department of Sonali Bank said, the branches of remote areas have been remaining in more vulnerable position than that of capital banches.

 

Most branches in remote areas have been operating their activities without moderate security management. In many branches, the private owned security forces were hired and they cannot carry fire arms.

 

In many cases, the existing fire arms were kept at volt due to lack of adequate skilled security men, a source of the bank said.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Bank has issued directives to boost up security measures in the branches and install steel-based concrete security around the volt from underground of those branches.

 

At the same time, the floor and roof of the volts to be certified by engineers, the Bangladesh Bank has issued the directives following the dacoity that took place in Kishorganj Sonali Bank branch on January 27.

 

Beside, the Bangladesh Bank also directed that the banks should be equipped with Close Circuit Television (CCTV) along with round the clock security alarms inside the volts.

 

The automatic fire extinguishers also have to be installed inside the vault, the Bangladesh Bank instructed.  

Risaingbd/HA