Cash clean-up: Bank holidays worry residents

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 9

With next two days being bank holidays, a huge rush was witnessed outside banks and ATMs.

Residents were worried over managing the next two days, if they did not get cash today. Usually, ATMs remained out of cash during bank holidays, said residents.

“We have to travel to Amritsar via bus. I am afraid if I do not get cash today, it will be difficult to travel as the conductors ask for change and new currency,” said Mohinder Singh, a resident.

While banks allow limited withdrawal of cash, most of the ATMs in the city have been out of order for the past many days due to cash crunch. Even those calibrated with cash go empty after a while due to the rush.

“People usually carry two to three cards at a time and keep withdrawing from ATMs which have cash. So only the queues are exchanged with no permanent solution to the problem,” complained Raman Singh, a resident of Sector 48.

“After standing in a long queue, the bank gives only Rs 4,000 at a time. This is not even one third of my monthly expenditure. So, how is a common man supposed to manage living without cash?” lamented Maninder Pal, a resident of Dhanas.