RTI to get Bank's video surveillance records

[trey]

Hi RTI community members,

This is my first post on this site.

Almost everyone will agree that State Bank of India has one of the most rude and unprofessional staff. I had my own bad experience-:

I visited the branch to apply for visa debit card. The clerk who process debit card request said he knew nothing about this card and asked me to go see the branch manager. The branch manager very rudely asked me to leave the cabin and bring the person on whose advice I came here. When called; the employee simply refused and said he never sent me to his cabin, on hearing this the branch manager started shouting like hell in front of two more people and asked me to leave. He didn't even listened to my arguments and assumed that I was lying. I suffered mental agony due this.
I feel aggrieved and want to make that branch manager pay for his unprofessional behavior.

I want to file complaint in consumer court and banking ombudsman. But before that I need to collect some evidence. I guess that RBI has made it mandatory to keep the video records for a certain period of time. I want to get copy of that day's video through RTI. So that same can be produced before the jury as an evidence.

[jps50]

The decision of CIC confirms that CCTV footage is accessible under RTI. It should not be interpreted narrowly only for corruption. I am sure scaling up complaint of misbehaviour or harassment to Local HO of bank and RTI for footage will cool down bank staff.

Complaint to LHO if not attended properly in a month should be followed by RTI with following links:

Long pending ? :
http://www.rtiindia.org/forum/blogs/...ding-govt.html

Central Govt application:
http://www.rtiindia.org/forum/blogs/...govt-info.html

You can address RTI application to branch head/ACPIO of the same branch and pay Rs.10 in cash, since bank has designated all its branch heads as ACPIOs under RTI to accept RTI applications, filing fees and appeals.

Please also study various policy initiatives posted on website of the bank for customers, as per directives of RBI and make use of them e.g. compensation policy, citizen charter, code of ethics, fair practice code etc. Following link [specially item No. 8 may be quoted in complaint] will be useful:

http://www.rtiindia.org/forum/blogs/...ommon-man.html

[karira]

Sponsorer

Instead of doing all this, it will be better to write a ordinary letter to the Regional Manager of the Bank describing your experience completely.

[jj99]

@smbhappy, jj99

Does unprofessional behavior and neglect of service come under corruption in this case?

I am going to file a complaint with public grievances cell of SBI and will get the complaint no. I want an apology letter from the branch manager and compensation. Failing which I will sue the branch manager as a representative of SBI who is guilty of providing poor service under CPA 1987.

Will my testimony in the consumer forum be enough to prove my allegations?

Don't have personal grudge unnecessarily, you are pressuring your mind too much in this exercise it is very difficult to prove what you want to say, so be careful in doing things your anger will first guide you take some steps and then you will repent on ( money / time / mental condition ) for small but an event which you should forget. these are like every day instances ( see DIG Rathod event even CBI registered the case but then withdrew becoz of no or little evidence to prosecute )

[jps50]

Taking client for ride, insulting him or harassing him by bank or any govt staff should not be allowed without taking it to logical end. 'Jane-do' attitude emboldens such employees. I was with a public sector bank for 31 years and 20 years as head of large branches. Internal management have their own constraints, union pressure etc to take action against staff, but if no-nonsense customer pursues it, management is forced to take corrective steps. I used to encourage customers to lodge written complaint to me against my erring staff so that action can be taken. Such complaints put employees on guard not to at least repeat such incidents. They do not know that CCTV camera can now nail them in disciplinary proceedings. If we want that common man has to be respected in govt offices in a democratic country, we must resist injustice. Let us pay some price by way of some money and time to improve good governance and courteous behaviour by public servants befitting citizen of a democratic country. I invite kind attention to posts at:

Education Loan Refused on completely wrong basis - Now sanctioned through RTI

Let us resist injustice to get justice. We have RTI to help us. I quoute:


“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” - Albert Einstein

“Injustice anywhere is threat to justice everywhere.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Silence of good men is more dangerous than brutality of bad men—Martin Luthar King

“The real swaraj will come not by the acquisition of authority by a few, but by the acquisition of capacity by all to resist authority when abused.” Mahatma Gandhi.

[trey]

@ jj99, jps50

In this case its the branch manager, but SBI is notorious for its rude staff. According the Banking Ombudsman maximum number of consumer complaints are against SBI.

I rarely visit the branch, all of my transactions are carried out through internet. I checked last time I visited the branch was in June 2010. Its been more than a year. Imagine what will be the agony of those who have no access to net-banking and still stand in line for transactions. Or an illiterate a/c holder who has to go to the manager every time to get his/her thumb impression attested so that he/she can withdraw cash from the counter. The manager gloats when he is pleased to attest a thumb impression.
I remember last time there was a wall right next to the entrance; which had a fairly big poster describing the role of Ombudsman and the step-by-step procedure to file complaint against the bank staff. Also there was another poster explaining RTI and the directives laid down by SBI to implement it. This time I noticed it was quietly removed and replaced by a colorful SBI mutual fund poster and another with the punchline Har Bhartiya ka bank LOL
I wonder if the creator of these ads know the ground realities.