Sena MLA seeks merger of PMC Bank

Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Waikar on Saturday demanded merger of the beleaguered Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank with any other lender having a sound financial position in order to provide relief to its depositors.

Raising the issue in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly here under the point of procedure, Waikar claimed that 19 depositors of the bank have died ever since the scam came to light in September this year.

"One person's wrongdoings should not affect other genuine customers of the PMC Bank. I request Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to pursue the matter of the bank's possible merger with any other bank with a sound financial condition," he said.

While talking to reporters later on the premises of the Vidhan Bhavan, the state legislature complex, Waikar said, "When the PMC Bank scam came to light, I had requested the then Maharashtra chief minister (Devendra Fadnavis) and also written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to look into the issue."

The fraud at the PMC Bank came to light after the RBI found out that the lender had allegedly created fictitious accounts to hide over Rs 4,355 crore of loans extended to the almost-bankrupt Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL).

According to the RBI, PMC Bank had masked problematic 44 loan accounts, including HDIL loan accounts, by tampering with its core banking system, and the accounts were accessible only to limited staff members.

Mumbai police's Economic Offences Wing and the Enforcement Directorate have registered offences against senior officials of the PMC Bank and HDIL promoters Rakesh Wadhawan and Sarang Wadhawan.