Bank holidays make ATMs run dry

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 26

Commercial activities in the city were affected due to three consecutive holidays in banks. The banks, which closed on Friday evening, would open tomorrow.

Most of the ATMs are running out of cash. Mainly, residents of the Amrik Singh road area, Gole Diggi, 100 feet road and the adjoining area faced problems as most ATMs in these localities were out of cash.

A majority of people have not adopted cashless shopping till date.

Milkhi Ram, a labourer, said, “I deposited a cheque in the bank on Thursday. But I have to wait for five-six days to get cash from the bank.”

“I took credit from a person on 5 per cent interest per day. This is how I am fulfilling the needs of my family for the last five days,” he added.

Sugandha Devi, a city resident, said, “In this hot and sultry weather, running from one ATM to another is very difficult. Today, I went to three ATMs but all were out of cash. Finally, I withdrew cash from the ATM near the railway station.”

Harpreet Singh, a businessman, said, “The labourers, who works in our firm, demand cash. There are three non-banking days and cash is hardly available. It is quite tough to manage business affairs under these circumstances.”

Sukhkeerat Kaur, another resident, said, “I was planning an outing but don’t have sufficient cash in my pocket. The authorities should keep in mind the inconvenience faced by the public.”

The non-banking period should not be longer than two days, she added.

Officials of State Bank of India could not be contacted till the filing of the report.