Mussoorie (Uttarakhand): People get attached to certain things in such a way that they cannot even imagine separation from them in life. In Mussoorie, several SBI customers, including renowned writer like Ruskin Bond, who have accounts in the bank are now upset about the Landour Cantontment branch being shifted.
For the last several years, a branch of the State Bank of India has been operating in the Char Shop area of Landour Cantt of Mussoorie city, wherein there are accounts of local residents of Cantt and villagers of the Jaunpur area.
Besides Ruskin Bond, whose name is closely connected with Mussoorie, actor Victor Banerjee, author Ganesh Saili, Prannoy Roy, Pramod Kapoor and Rajesh Tripathi, have written a letter to the Cantonment President Brigadier SN Singh, against the bank's decision.
In the letter, it has been mentioned that the first and foremost objective of the Cantonment Board is to ensure the welfare of its residents and that in this case, an intervention is necessary.
Writer Ganesh Saili says that if the branch of State Bank is shifted, then local villagers and senior citizens who live nearby in about half a dozen villages of Jaunpur will have to face a lot of problems. He further said that an institution has a social responsibility, which cannot be measured in money.
Meanwhile, the villagers of Mawana Gram Panchayat have also given a letter to the Cantt Board. Sabal Singh Panwar, a resident of the village said that if the Cantt does not accept the demand of the villagers, then all the villagers will be forced to stage a dharna outside the branch.
Speaking on the issue, Landour Cantt CEO Abhishek Rathod said that as per public demand the bank branch will not be shifted, instead will only be moved to another building just 50 metres away. While the ATM kiosk will continue to remain in the existing place.
Who is Ruskin Bond?
Ruskin Bond was born on May 19, 1934, in Kasauli (Himachal). As an Indian author of British descent, he came to Mussoorie in 1964 and settled here. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1992 for Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra. Bond has also written hundreds of short stories, essays, novels and books for children. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2014. He lives in Landour, Mussoorie.
Major works: 'The Blue Umbrella', 'The Night Train At Deoli', Our Trees Still Grow In Dehra', 'Delhi Is Not Far', A Season Of Ghosts, Coming Round The Mountain: In The Year Of Independence', 'Time Stops At Shamli And Other Stories', 'A Face In The Dark And Other Hauntings' and 'The Room on the Roof'.
