Amid increasing ATM robberies, banks seek security in Haryana
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 28
Amid rising cases of ATM and bank robberies in Haryana, bankers have approached the state government to ensure safety.
The matter came to light during the recently held State Level Bankers Committee meeting to review the performance of banks.
“The ATMs and branches are constantly being targeted by miscreants and every time they are adopting a new method. We have approached the state government to provide safety to banks and ATMs,” said a senior banker who attended the meeting.
Officials of the Finance Department have assured the bankers that they will take up the matter with the Home Department. In addition to this, the bankers said they were working on modalities to roll out a comprehensive e-surveillance mechanism at the ATMs for timely alerts and quick response.
Besides increased surveillance, the banks have been advised to take steps such as grouting of ATMs to solid structures such as walls and pillars to avoid uprooting.
As on March 31, the state had 6,761 ATMs and 4,900 branches of various banks — public, private and cooperative. The maximum number of ATMs are in urban areas (4,095), followed by semi-urban (1,739) and rural areas (927).
