Have you heard of a bank buying a basement of a housing society and equipping it with locker and other facilities for residents to sleep in peace? Pune based Vidya Sahakari Bank is precisely doing so and has received fabulous response to this novel experiment.
When a woman resident of the housing society likes to go for a party, she comes to the basement of the society and uses the dressing room and wear ornaments in the locker park. On return, she parks her ornaments in the same locker and safely move to her flat. So simple!
Vidya Sahakari Bank has started this “Day and Night Locker System” facility in the Parijat Society in Baner. The locker facility is available for 24 hours for people living in the Society. The residents are also provided with facilities such as dressing rooms, hair dryer, nail polish and lipstick under one roof.
“Perhaps our bank is the first bank in the Urban Cooperative Banking sector that has started such unique facilities”, said Vidyadhar Anaskar Chairman of Vidya Sahakari Bank.
The introduction of this facility has reduced the policing work for the society because robbers know there is no cash
and gold in flats. The only condition the flat owners are subject to, their current or saving accounts should be with Vidya Sahakari Bank, said Ansakar calling it innovative banking.
The plus point of this facility is that there is no need of the RBI permission.
Another novel experiment the UCB is trying is helping out the old and infirm. Anaskar said,” We have launched a scheme “Banking Service at your door step available for elderly people and handicapped”. The scheme provides them with service at their door step. They call us and our representative collects money, we only charge travel expenses.”
“This has made those elderly people who can’t walk, operate their accounts from home. We are getting a good response in this connection”, said an euphoric Anaskar.
Anaskar further informed that according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal corporation rule if anyone wants to construct the locker system or air conditioning plant in the basement of the society, the space is given without any rent. In this case, there is no loss for the builder and it will mean additional facility to the people as well as the builders.
Recalling the history of the bank, Vidya Sahakari Bank Chairman said the bank was established in 1974 by the teacher community associated with Birahan Maharashtra College of Commerce, Pune. The objective of opening this bank was to teach students in practical matters. We have 13 branches in Pune and we earned a net profit of about Rs 3 crore in the last financial year.
“We have set-up TV sets in all the branches of the bank and we are educating our visitors about banking. We are also organizing education awareness for the members of the bank”, he said.
The bank is also rendering social services by teaching school students about banking such as about cheque book, Demand Draft and other banking procedures, he told IC.
