In Kerala, lockdown or not, these men will get your cash from ATMs

Pradeep R Nair, senior manager of Securevalue, who is in charge of Kerala, says the task was cut out for the company when the three-week lockdown was announced by the prime minister on March 24.

Published: 13th April 2020 03:22 AM 

Pradeep R Nair (Middle) Varghese Nigil K (third from left) Shyju Antony (second from left)

By Rajesh Abraham

Express News Service

KOCHI: Varghese Nigil K has a tough task these days. The job of this 38-year-old native of Vaduthala in Ernakulam is to ensure that the ATMs have enough cash and that the technical glitches or snags, if any, are repaired fast. For most people, the lockdown means sitting indoors with no contacts with others outside. But that’s not applicable for those involved in the essential services.

“At a time when our doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers are working in the frontline to tackle the Covid pandemic, we have to ensure that other key services are not hit,” says Nigil, a senior executive of Securevalue India Ltd, which provides cash management services to approximately 38,000+ ATMs across the country.

“We take all precautions like wearing the masks and gloves, and we also sanitise the ATMs after stacking them with cash,” he says, adding that after the initial fear, his family comprising wife, two kids and parents understood the importance of the task.

“When I reach home, I wash my hands and ensures proper hygiene. This regimen is strictly followed on a daily basis.” Nigil travels in the Securevalue’s van along with a team comprising two gunmen, and everyone in the team know the importance of the task. Says driver Shyju K Antony, a native of Aroor, “Initially, there were some problems as the police stopped our vehicle frequently. Now, after the clarification by the government that we are providing an essential service, we are not facing any problem,” he says. 

Pradeep R Nair, senior manager of Securevalue, who is in charge of Kerala, says the task was cut out for the company when the three-week lockdown was announced by the prime minister on March 24. “We have a team of 300 people in Kerala, and our initial task was to ensure that there was no panic in terms of ATMs running out of cash. Anticipating this, as per the intimation we received from the head office on the business continuity plan, we stacked up the ATMs.

There were also fears that our people should not contract the disease. We were provided with enough gloves, masks and hand sanitisers,” he says. The ATM maintenance and repair, cash processing and deposit pick-up are not an easy task. The 2016 demonetisation of 500 and 1000 rupee notes have seen what panic can do: massive shortage of cash at ATMs overnight. As the chances of an extended lockdown look likely, the cash replenishers at ATMs are confident that there won’t be any cash shortage at the ATMs. “There is also an increase in digital transactions, but cash is a must for buying things from your neighbourhood stores,” he winds up.