Sandeep Bhat
Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 15: At a time when most banks and financial institutions across the country are using modern technology to extend world class facilities to their customers, public sector insurance giant Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has struck to primitive operating system, coupled with paucity of staff, impelling thousands of its depositors to stand in long queues to pay their premiums or get their claims settled.
It is ironical, that the Company which enjoys trust of lakhs of insurers across the state is reciprocating by meting out a raw deal to them. As per the sources, Life Insurance Company is facing paucity of employees and the management is finding it difficult to manage the affairs with the present strength.
Talking to Early Times, Veer Ji, an insurer said that he came to the rail head complex branch of the LIC to deposit his premium but had to stand in queue for one hour for his turn. "Whenever I visit this office, I find long queues and management does not care to add on more cash counters to make it easy for the depositors" he added.
His concerns were shared by Rita, a housewife, who expressed similar concerns.
"It is nightmare to pay my premium in this branch as I have to spend half of my day for this" said Rita, questioning lack of facilities for the insurers. Gurvinder Singh, a private employee expressing his anguish said that at the rail head branch of the LIC, there were three cash counters but only two windows were operational and the third window always remained closed. "The agents also deposit their premium in these two windows which makes situation worse for the depositors as agents mostly deposit premium of more than five to ten clients at a time".
Most depositors expressed their dismay that eventhough the LIC was doing thick business, it cared a little for its clients. "If it continues to take the insurers for granted, it is bound to lose business to private companies which extend better services and have customer friendly branches" said Jugal, another depositor. |
