Key facts
- A civil society group has asked West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to intervene against SBI's proposed relocation of key processing centers.
- The centers include the Loan Central Processing Centre (LCPC), Centralised Cheque Processing Centre (CCPC), and Centralised Pension Processing Centre (CPPC).
- The Bank Bachao Desh Bachao Manch fears the move will lead to job losses and weaken Kolkata's position as a banking hub.
- The LCPC and CPPC alone support approximately 160 permanent employees and numerous outsourced workers, vendors, and service providers.
- The group cited past relocations of SBI operations from Kolkata that resulted in significant job losses.
A civil society organization, the Bank Bachao Desh Bachao Manch, has formally requested West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to intervene against the State Bank of India's (SBI) reported decision to relocate key centralized processing centers from Kolkata to Mumbai. The Manch argues that this move would negatively impact employment and diminish Kolkata's standing as a significant banking hub.
The organization specifically cited the proposed shifting of SBI's Loan Central Processing Centre (LCPC), Centralised Cheque Processing Centre (CCPC), and Centralised Pension Processing Centre (CPPC). In a letter to the Chief Minister, the Manch detailed that the LCPC and CPPC together support approximately 160 permanent employees, along with nearly 50 outsourced workers, over 50 vendors and service providers, and more than 30 other personnel.
This appeal follows previous efforts by the forum to the Mamata Banerjee government regarding the relocation of SBI's Global Market Unit from Kolkata, which reportedly resulted in no effective intervention. The Manch also pointed to the earlier transfer of SBI's Central Accounts Office from Kolkata, which they claim led to the loss of nearly 400 jobs, and the relocation of the Global Market Unit, which allegedly reduced around 150 positions and impacted state GST revenue.
The Manch urged the Chief Minister to take up the matter with SBI, the Department of Financial Services, and the central government to ensure the continued operation of these processing centers in Kolkata and to prevent further erosion of the state's banking infrastructure.