Bangalore: Saturday marked the end of the 45-day deadline that was given to bank officials across the city with respect to making mandatory security arrangements inside ATM kiosks or face the risk of being shut down.
Additional commissioner of police (law and order) Kamal Pant told Deccan Chronicle, “Starting early on Sunday, we will begin surveying ATMs area-wise across the city to ascertain whether or not they have implemented the compulsory security measures.
The measures we have specified are that each ATM kiosk should be equipped with a functional CCTV camera, a burglar alarm or panic button, and that a security guard should be stationed outside at all times. If even one of these criteria is not met, that particular ATM kiosk will be closed immediately. If necessary, we might initiate action against the bank officials concerned.”
The initial three-day deadline that was given to bank authorities following the brutal attack on 38-year-old bank manager Jyothi Uday inside a Corporation Bank ATM near Hudson circle on November 19 was later extended to 45 days.
The outcome of a meeting conducted between senior police officers and bank authorities called for the deadline extension citing ‘procedural delays’ in order to allow implementation of all necessary safety measures; but all banks were asked to immediately deploy security personnel outside ATM kiosks.
Nearly 1,038 ATMs across Bangalore were shut down after the initial deadline passed last year and several ATM kiosks were found unmanned.
