Besides tall claims by the RBI and government that adequate arrangements are placed in to come over cash crisis on pay day, today, most of salaried people became disappointed as they return on the first day of this month with a nominal amount of cash or without cash after standing queues hours together at banks.
Many banks in two Telugu states are said to be stitched to unofficial `cash ration’ by which only provided Rs 4,000 to Rs 6,000 to every person, irrespective of their demand. It may be recalled that RBI officially permits to withdraw upto Rs 24,000 for saving account holders and Rs 50,000 for current account holders. But except few banks, which given upto Rs 12,000 most of the banks strictly followed their own `ration’.
Though government claims re-calibration of most of the ATMs was completed, more than 80 per cent of ATMs do not have cash, while people are struggling with the problem of change as the operational ones dispense mostly high denomination Rs 2,000 notes.
Tens of thousands of people lined up at banks and ATMs raising fears of more chaos amid the severe cash crunch. Heavy police security was placed at banks expecting angry public may lose their patience and resort to aggressive postures. Many employees took off from their offices to withdraw cash.
Moreover, the hardship of public at banks and ATMs were multiplied today due to mad rush to withdraw salaries. The queues turned abnormally longer as people lined up as early as at 6 a.m. at banks to draw the money to meet their domestic commitments on the first day of the month.
