NT NETWORK
PANAJI
All ATMs in Goa may not be open for transactions on Friday, which suggests another day of paucity of cash and hardship to people.
Earlier it was announced that ATMs would reopen on November 11 after remaining closed for two days. But sources in several nationalised banks said that it may not be possible to have all ATMs functioning although “efforts are on to open as many as possible.”
Banks said that they are facing technical problems in topping the ATMs with cash. Frequent network breakdown is slowing down the normalization process. Another issue is the excess workload due to the rush of customers in branches.
A source in the State Bank of India, the lead bank, said, “We are trying to get all ATMs working but it depends on how fast the agencies can load the machines.” The SBI is also aiming to have its e-galleries working on Friday. However, an official in private sector HDFC Bank said that the bank’s ATMs would reopen on Friday. ATMs across India were shut on November 9 and 10 to replace the invalid Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes with new notes after the government’s move of demonetisation. There are restrictions on withdrawal from ATMs once they reopen. The withdrawal limit is Rs 2,000 per day and it will be relaxed gradually. New Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes are expected in the vending machines. There are over 400 ATMs in the state and bankers said that once they reopen, the pressure on bank branches will decrease.