Lately, there has been a seemingly mushroom growth of banks and financial institutions in the private sector throughout the country. As more and more banks were inducted in the private sector, they opened their branches in every nook and corner of the country with the view to meet the minimum essential requirements of the State Bank of Pakistan. Model Town, a well-planned locality of Lahore that had existed since pre-Partition, has small markets in every block and two main markets known as the Bank Square Market and the Central Commercial Market located adjacent to each other across the road from C Block. In recent months, banks have virtually flooded the two main markets which by now have about 20 plus branches of the banks and still more are in the process of being established depending on the availability of premises. These banks though are not exactly conscious of quality and standard of services they provide to the customers. I, being one of the older resident of Model Town, was surprised and shocked to note that on the auspicious occasion of the country's Independence Day, just one bank branch had bothered to hoist the national flag atop their multi-storeyed premises. Why this lukewarm response? -M. ZAHID RIFAT, Lahore, via e-mail, August 15.