Cashless woes on payday

Hyderabad: Normally people look forward to the payday eagerly and with grand plans to chill out before calling it a day. But, Thursday – the first payday after the demonetization of high value notes – turned out to be ‘pain day’ for most people across Telangana, though early birds managed to queue up before banks right from 8-00 am.

Wiser after three weeks of untold agony caused by the cash crunch, people formed serpentine queues with trepidation in the hearts that the banks perhaps have low or no cash. They hoped against hope to draw something more than Rs 2000, which has been the norm per day for the past week. Few found ATMs that were functional for withdrawing at least a part of their salary.

Most of the government employees and pensioners returned disappointed even after having stood in the queue since early morning as there was either little cash or no cash in most of the banks. In some banks, withdrawals were stopped abruptly after catering to hardly 100-odd customers, resulting in public protests at some of the banks.

The Telangana government had asked nationalised banks to pay Rs 10,000 in cash to each employee and pensioner by setting up special counters. Although three special counters were opened in the State Bank of Hyderabad at the Secretariat, within a couple of hours the cash chests went dry.

In Andhra Bank, the government employees were given tokens and asked to come on Friday as the cash got exhausted within one hour of opening of the bank.

The situation in the districts was no different. In the SBI main branch at Sangareddy, government employees and pensioners who had filled in withdrawal slips for Rs 10,000 were disappointed when the tellers told them they could withdraw only Rs 5,000 and that too once a week.

Even that didn’t seem to have been implemented equally for all. One official in the district administration was reportedly allowed to withdraw Rs 10,000.

This led to some arguments between the bank employees and those who had been waiting in the queue. Prasad, a pensioner, said he was given only two Rs 2,000 notes and ten Rs 100 notes.

When contacted, Madhusudhan Prasad, Chief Manager, SBI Sangareddy branch said, “We can’t officially declare anything to you. If you need any information, you can get it from the head office in Hyderabad.”

In Mahabubnagar, government employees and pensioners faced severe cash crunch as the supply of currency in banks was far less than the demand from customers.

“We are facing severe currency crunch, though the government has asked us to give Rs. 10,000 in cash. We are not able to dispense the same due to lack of supply of notes from RBI. As per the new directive from RBI, we are giving only Rs. 2,000 per day to each account holder,” said a senior manager at Andhra Bank’s main branch in Mahbubnagar.

The most impacted were pensioners. R.C Reddy, a retired teacher from Hanwada said, “There is no coordination among the bankers and the government authorities.

While the government is announcing that cash is supplied in all ATMs and banks are directed to give Rs. 10,000 in cash, the situation on the ground does not reflect the government’s announcement. I have come from Hanwada to draw my pension. But the bank authorities are giving only Rs. 2,000,” he said.

In Warangal, no special counters were set up for government employees and pensioners. The banks which are facing acute currency crunch said that they had no instructions to give Rs 10,000 in cash to government employees.

However, they said they would set up special counters on Friday should they get instructions from their head office and subject to availability of cash.

In Bhongir, Nalgonda district, pensioners were disappointed as Andhra Bank could not dispense more than Rs 4,000 per person. The bank manager said that they were not able to give Rs 10,000 as suggested by the government because of cash crunch.