Laksam (Comilla) Correspondent:

The red building of Pubali Bank in Kandirpar, Comilla city, stands as a witness to time. Although it is a branch of Pubali Bank today, it was once the head office of one of the oldest banks in the subcontinent, “The Comilla Banking Corporation”. The bank’s journey began 107 years ago, i.e. in 1914, at the initiative of the business community and entrepreneurs of Comilla.

Once upon a time, Comilla was called the “city of banks and tanks”. Along with famous tanks like Dharmasagar, Nanuar Dighi, Ujir Dighi, Rani Dighi, and Kamalasagar, it was the heart of business and commerce. Due to administrative activities, market trade, and regional influence, one bank after another started to be established in Comilla city. However, due to the passage of time, all those banks are no more, and many tanks have also disappeared.

After the partition of Bengal in 1905, the administrative and commercial activities of the eastern region increased. The business community became strong in cities like Comilla, Chittagong, and Mymensingh. The need for a banking system for business and commerce became acute. In this context, entrepreneurs of Comilla established “The Comilla Banking Corporation” in 1914.

The founder of the bank was Narendra Chandra Dutta, a prominent businessman and lawyer of Comilla. Although his original home was in Kalikachchh village of Sarail upazila of Brahmanbaria, he settled in Comilla city due to his career and business. He owned the Mantala Tea Estate, Mantala Steel, and the electricity supply business in Comilla city. With a series of business successes, he further strengthened the foundation of Comilla’s business and commerce by establishing the bank.

The activities of the bank were extensive from the beginning. In addition to Brahmanbaria and Dhaka, branches of the Comilla Banking Corporation were opened in many cities of India, including Kolkata, Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mumbai. The most surprising fact is that the bank had a branch in faraway London. The expansion of a regional bank to London at that time bears witness to the strength and potential of the businessmen of Comilla.

Later, after the partition of the country, many regional banks of the subcontinent could not survive. This bank of Comilla also did not survive. At various times, it merged and merged with four banks of India. Finally, the "United Bank of India" was formed in 1950 by combining these banks. As a result, this historic bank of Comilla disappeared in name and symbol.

The red building in which the Pubali Bank branch is currently operating in Kandirpar, Comilla city, was once the head office of the Comilla Banking Corporation. This building now carries the memory of the lost glory of the past for the people of Comilla.

Once upon a time, the city of Comilla was not only culturally and educationally rich, but also financially prosperous. The history of this bank, lost in the abyss of time, still reminds people of how deep and international Comilla's commercial heritage was.