The Hindu Business Line : `DRT is without presiding officer for two years'

The Tribunal has been without a permanent Presiding Officer (PO) for more than two years now. Due to the absence of a permanent PO to hold forte and conduct proceedings on a day-to-day basis, the operations have been brought to a near halt.

Banks however continue to register cases with the DRT. "More than 2,000 cases are pending and the numbers are increasing by the day," say industry sources

Piling cases on the one hand and the near-absence of hearing `contested' matters on the other have put the bankers in a tight spot.

From two special sittings a week (conducted by a PO holding additional charge) up to June 2005, the numbers gradually fell to two (sittings) a month, and bankers say "no contested matters" were being taken up on these days. "Most cases get adjourned indefinitely."

"Compromise settlements have taken a hit," a banker said and added that the banks were losing the advantage because settlements were made after a decree in a majority of cases.

That is not all. The Coordination Committee has since given up its exercise of regular review meetings. The absence of a Nodal Officer for conducting the exercise has been cited as the reason for non-conduct of review meetings.

State Bank of Travancore is the Nodal Bank for DRT, Coimbatore.