Punjab National Bank makes a difference for the elderly

PUNE: The Punjab National Bank (PNB) walked an extra mile in its efforts to help senior citizens exchange the now defunct Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes with Rs 100 notes at the Gool Poonawala Garden at Salisbury Park on Sunday.
The bank had put up a mobile banking van at the garden where senior citizens could exchange upto Rs 4,000. Senior citizens who came to the garden for morning walk hailed the initiative.“It was a good proactive move by the Punjab National Bank (PNB). Many senior citizens exchanged the demonetised cash at the garden,” a senior citizen said. Another said those who could not exchange notes on Sunday had been asked to come on Monday.
A part of PNB Prerana’s initiative, the drive helped senior citizens cash exchange and open accounts. They were requested to carry only their identity proofs with them. “The bank employees helped to make copies of their identity proofs,” said Sanjay Pawar, resident of Salisbury Park area.
A resident of cantonment, who had gone to PNB’s circle office in Camp said that the bank employees were giving water, tea and coffee to the people, who were standing in queue. Shashank Joshi, a software engineer, who was in the queue at ICICI bank’s Karvenagar branch told TOI that the bank had made special arrangements for the elderly. “They arranged for chairs and water and assisted the aged,” Joshi said.
The Sahakarnagar branch of the Bank of India also had similar arrangements.
However, many people, including the elderly, faced difficulties across most branches in Pimpri Chinchwad. Shanta Gaikwad, a senior citizen, waited for six hours to get Rs 4,000 from the Bank of Maharashtra's, Kasarwadi branch. She lined up in the already long queue at 8am and was exasperated by the time she left at 2pm. The same was the case with Sandhya Raut at the Pimpri branch of the State Bank of India (SBI). There were long queues at most branches in Pimpri Chinchwad.
Rafique Khan, a disabled person on wheelchair, waited nearly three hours to withdraw Rs 2,000 from the SBI ATM in Vishrantwadi on Sunday. “ATMs should display a noticeboard that disabled persons should not have to wait in the queue,” he said.
Aam Aadmi Party workers distributed water and biscuits for people including senior citizens, and women standing in queues outside banks in areas of Hadapsar, Shivajinagar, Kondhwa, Wanowrie and Sinhagad Road.