Cash crunch dampens Akshay Tritiya spirit
TIMES NEWS NETWORK 19.04.2018
Cash crunch at ATMs of nationalised and private banks continued in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, with panic withdrawals of money dampening the festive spirit on Akshay Tritiya.
The cash shortage also hit the Char Dham Yatra, which began from Haridwar, on Wednesday. Empty ATMs greeted the first batch of pilgrims undertaking the pilgrimage. Hotel owners and taxi operators in Uttarkashi, the main town near the Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines which opened on Wednesday, said inadequate availability of cash might spoil the first phase of the yatra season.
A hotel association official said, “The Char Dham Yatra is the backbone of our economy. Thousands of people wait to make money this time of the year. Many hotel owners and tour operators repay their loans with the income they make from the yatra. But due to cash shortage, tourists won’t spend much.” The cash management committee, comprising 10 banks, called an emergency meeting to take stock of the situation in Telangana, which had reported over 48% dry ATMs on Tuesday. The CMC said it would try to improve cash availability at ATMs from 52% to 75%.
SBI chief general manager of Hyderabad circle, J Swaminathan, told TOI on Wednesday: “All banks will have to take steps to move currency from cash-surplus locations. Each bank will have to furnish cash balances and ATM availability daily. There was an increase in cash withdrawals due to festivals. Many people rushed to ATMs at the same time.”
Wedding plans suffered the most in Madhya Pradesh. Sandeep Thakur, who is getting married on Thursday, said, “There is no cash in the house. I have been struggling to withdraw money.”
Several pockets in Maharashtra reported severe cash crunch, with Aurangabad being the worst-hit. Monika Yadav, from Aurangabad, said she checked ATMs but could not withdraw money. “I was planning to shop for Akshay Tritiya, but could not do as I had no cash,” she said.
Scenes reminiscent of postdemonetisation days played out in some pockets of Kolkata with ‘No Cash’ signs hanging outside several ATMs even as queues of anxious citizens built up in front of others. Around 3pm, a ‘No Cash’ sign was hung outside a Bank of India’s ATM on Central Avenue. A few metres away, at the State Bank of India ATM, a sign was found saying, the machine will dispense only ₹2,000 notes.
“An uncertainty reigned during the demonetisation days and that seems to be returning. There are either ₹2,000 notes in some ATMs or no money at all,” said Pratap Mukherjee. Bank officials, however, said the situation was almost normal in Kolkata and rest of the state. “There is no cash problem in Kolkata,” chief general manager of SBI (Bengal circle) Partha Pratim Sengupta said. A senior Allahabad Bank official said, “It will be completely normal in the next three-four days.”
The situation eased a bit in Bihar. Officials at the RBI headquarters in Patna claimed that the crisis eased after “prompt actions.” An SBI official said, “We started working from 8am so that cash could be made available at all ATMs in the day.”
TIMES NEWS NETWORK 19.04.2018
Cash crunch at ATMs of nationalised and private banks continued in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, with panic withdrawals of money dampening the festive spirit on Akshay Tritiya.
The cash shortage also hit the Char Dham Yatra, which began from Haridwar, on Wednesday. Empty ATMs greeted the first batch of pilgrims undertaking the pilgrimage. Hotel owners and taxi operators in Uttarkashi, the main town near the Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines which opened on Wednesday, said inadequate availability of cash might spoil the first phase of the yatra season.
A hotel association official said, “The Char Dham Yatra is the backbone of our economy. Thousands of people wait to make money this time of the year. Many hotel owners and tour operators repay their loans with the income they make from the yatra. But due to cash shortage, tourists won’t spend much.” The cash management committee, comprising 10 banks, called an emergency meeting to take stock of the situation in Telangana, which had reported over 48% dry ATMs on Tuesday. The CMC said it would try to improve cash availability at ATMs from 52% to 75%.
SBI chief general manager of Hyderabad circle, J Swaminathan, told TOI on Wednesday: “All banks will have to take steps to move currency from cash-surplus locations. Each bank will have to furnish cash balances and ATM availability daily. There was an increase in cash withdrawals due to festivals. Many people rushed to ATMs at the same time.”
Wedding plans suffered the most in Madhya Pradesh. Sandeep Thakur, who is getting married on Thursday, said, “There is no cash in the house. I have been struggling to withdraw money.”
Several pockets in Maharashtra reported severe cash crunch, with Aurangabad being the worst-hit. Monika Yadav, from Aurangabad, said she checked ATMs but could not withdraw money. “I was planning to shop for Akshay Tritiya, but could not do as I had no cash,” she said.
Scenes reminiscent of postdemonetisation days played out in some pockets of Kolkata with ‘No Cash’ signs hanging outside several ATMs even as queues of anxious citizens built up in front of others. Around 3pm, a ‘No Cash’ sign was hung outside a Bank of India’s ATM on Central Avenue. A few metres away, at the State Bank of India ATM, a sign was found saying, the machine will dispense only ₹2,000 notes.
“An uncertainty reigned during the demonetisation days and that seems to be returning. There are either ₹2,000 notes in some ATMs or no money at all,” said Pratap Mukherjee. Bank officials, however, said the situation was almost normal in Kolkata and rest of the state. “There is no cash problem in Kolkata,” chief general manager of SBI (Bengal circle) Partha Pratim Sengupta said. A senior Allahabad Bank official said, “It will be completely normal in the next three-four days.”
The situation eased a bit in Bihar. Officials at the RBI headquarters in Patna claimed that the crisis eased after “prompt actions.” An SBI official said, “We started working from 8am so that cash could be made available at all ATMs in the day.”
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