Chennai: Salaried class was a depressed lot on Friday. Their salaries were credited into their accounts, but majority of them could not withdraw the amount they desired as banks ran out of cash.
Woes of demonetisation continue to trouble people even after three weeks of the dramatic announcement. Several banks displayed “NO CASH” boards prominently outside their branches as they received very minimum cash from the Reserve Bank of India.
And majority of the banks dispensed only Rs 2,000 notes, which people termed as “useless”. As majority of the ATMs also continued to be offline, people were a harassed lot since they could not withdraw money from their accounts.
“My salary was credited on Wednesday and today is Friday. I have not been able to withdraw even '100 for the past three days. And I have to pay my maid and my grocer by December 4. How do I manage my expenses? I go maximum cashless but I do need cash for my incidental expenses,” Naveen Kumar, a software professional, said.
Long queues could be seen at branches of almost all banks as they allowed cash withdrawal only for a few hours for want of adequate cash. “The Government knew that salaries would be credited on 1st and 2nd of December, but still the Government did not take any precautionary measure to ensure that adequate cash is available for distribution,” Ezhilarasan, who works with a BPO, said.
A few bankers admitted that they could not dispense enough cash to people who came to their branches. “We have our own limitations and we can’t go beyond that. We told the customers that they couldn’t withdraw the entire limit of Rs 24,000 in a single day. Some people accepted but some protested,” manager of a Public Sector bank said.
Never ending queue outside secretariat
There was a huge rush outside ATMs at secretariat building where thousands of government employees queued up to withdraw money from their account, creating tension and chaos near the high profile area.
Banks located in secretariat complex also saw serpentine queues with government staff gathering to withdraw salaries that were credited into their accounts on the 1st and 2nd of December.
“I wanted to withdraw Rs 12,000 from my account, the bank staff asked to come after noon. Then they insisted me to withdraw only Rs 6,000 explaining that there was no cash. Now I have to come again on Monday and this irritates salaried people like us”, said D. Raj Kumar, a government employee.
Similar crowds were also seen in banks located near Ripon Buildings and Chennai metro water headquarters.
