Life without cash: Pangi valley’s ATM woes continue unabated

Life in the remote Pangi valley has become even more challenging as all ATM services remain non-functional for nearly a month, leaving residents grappling with major banking difficulties.

The valley, located in the Pir Panjal range, is primarily served by the State Bank of India (SBI) and the Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Bank, both of which operate branches and ATMs at Killar, the sub-divisional headquarters. However, the SBI ATM has been out of order for a long time and the Cooperative Bank ATM — the only dependable option — also went offline on September 4 due to technical glitches. Bank officials confirmed the matter has been reported to higher authorities but could not provide a timeline for restoration.

The crisis comes close on the heels of last month’s heavy rains, which had already disrupted routine banking operations. With both ATMs shut, locals now depend solely on branch counters, where limited staff and swelling queues make cash withdrawals painfully slow. Many villagers return empty-handed after hours of waiting. In a region already struggling with poor connectivity, limited transport and harsh terrain, the absence of ATM services has magnified daily hardships. Residents say even meeting basic needs has become difficult.

“Without functioning ATMs, we are left with no choice but to crowd bank counters, which is time-consuming and exhausting,” a villager said.

Community members have appealed to both the administration and banking authorities to expedite repairs and restore services at the earliest to provide relief.

Cut off for several months each winter due to heavy snowfall over Sach Pass, Pangi Valley has long endured inadequate access to healthcare, education and banking. The ongoing ATM outage has once again highlighted the fragile infrastructure in one of Himachal’s most remote regions.