BAJURA, FEBRUARY 4
Customers at the Rastriya Banijya Bank Kolti branch in Budhinanda Municipality of Bajura district are grappling with significant inconvenience caused by erratic power supply, resulting in disrupted transactions and lengthy waits. Branch Manager Sudama Shahi attributes the challenges to both local power grid issues and malfunctioning solar batteries, acknowledging customer frustration.
Customers have to endure lengthy waits in adverse weather conditions, unable to conduct essential transactions due to the lack of power supply.
Among them is 68-year-old Sauteni Sarki, a 68-year-old resident of Budhinanda Municipality, who walked a four-hour journey in snow and cold to reach the bank at 10:00 am.
However, she was unable to withdraw her pension despite waiting in line till 12 in the afternoon. Now, without access to cash due to the absence of electricity powering the banking system, she faces the challenge of purchasing rice.
The Kolti branch not only caters to Budhinanda Municipality but also serves four neighboring municipalities: Humla, Mugu, and Kalikot. Additionally, Kolti functions as a crucial financial hub for these regions, boasting an airport, highlighting the bank's pivotal role in the area. However, persistent power supply problems have impeded banking operations, impacting numerous customers like Sauteni.
The solar batteries are malfunctioning, which fails during rainy days or when sunlight are scarce along with the unreliable local power grid, branch manager Shahi lamented.
Despite assurances from local authorities, including promises for generator arrangements, no concrete actions have been taken to alleviate the problem, according to Shahi.
Rajendra Acharya, Head of Rastriya Banijya Bank for Shudurpaschim Province, acknowledged the issue and assured that steps are being taken to address it, including the purchase of solar batteries and coordination for generator procurement.
