Suryapur agents to intensify stir

To send 100 post cards, titled 'give justice to the poor' everyday to CM Narendra Modi

The recurring deposit agents of Suryapur Co-operative Bank, which is out of business since September 2002, will intensify their agitation.

As many of their efforts to get their and the depositors' monies back did not yield any result, they have come up with a novel way to put their point across.

The agents have decided to send 100 post cards, titled 'Give justice to the poor' to the chief minister Narendra Modi, each day.

Paresh Parekh, convenor of Suryapur Agent Dainik Bachat Hitvardhak Samiti, which represents agents and depositors of the bank, said, "We have decided to write 100 letters to the chief minister everyday. The letters will mention the problems faced by the agents as well as the depositors due to non-payment of their monies."

"We have held talks with the bank administrator, registrar, finance minister Vaju Wala and co-operatives minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasma, but the result was discouraging. All we have got so far are hollow assurances," Parekh said.

"We realise that chief minister Narendra Modi is probably the only person who can resolve the issue. The chief minister did not pay any attention towards us while he was in Surat on the occasion of Gujarat Formation Day, but the letters may make him realise the gravity of our problems. We hope that he takes note and initiates steps so that we can get our money back," Parekh said.

Parekh said, "We have already sent 100 letters to the chief minister on Saturday. We will contact the bank's depositors and get them involved in the agitation. In this way, the agitation will gather momentum and hopefully there will be some solution to our problems."

The agents have also written to the bank administrator R R Waghasia seeking details of the transactions, which total Rs 11.87 crore, that took place after the closure of Suryapur Bank.

Agents have alleged that some of the bank authorities were involved in these fraudulent transactions.

About 9,000 small depositors of Suryapur Bank, who had deposits of under Rs 1 lakh, have lost a total of around Rs 10 crore due to the bank's closure.

The prime accused in the case is Kanaksinh Mangrola, a prominent BJP leader and a former Rajya Sabha member. A local court on Wednesday granted bail to four accused in the Suryapur Co-operative Bank scam case.

The bail application of one of the accused was rejected.

Bank chairman Babu Gamit, managing director Ranjitsinh Mangrola, chief executive officer Jagdishchandra Jariwala, director Premal Chauhan and bank Bhupendra Patel had applied for regular bail in the Surat district and sessions court.

Sessions Judge K M Vin granted bail to all except Premal Chauhan, who allegedly owes around Rs 35 lakh to the bank.

Judge Vin directed them not to travel outside Gujarat without prior permission of the court and surrender their passport with the court.

Babu Gamit, Jagdishchandra Jariwala and Premal Chauhan were arrested on April 9 by the detection of crime branch from Walia taluka in Bharuch district, while Ranjitsinh Mangrola and Bhupendra Patel surrendered before police the same day.

Mukesh Desai, one of the accused, has filed an application in the additional sessions court, seeking permission to travel outside Gujarat.

Desai spent over a year in jail after his arrest in January 2003, and was released on bail just recently. The agents had tried to meet the chief minister and officials on Gujarat Formation Day.