Banks, ATMs run dry on cashless Friday

JAIPUR: All the claims made by the Centre, Reserve Bank of India (RB) and ministers of increasing cash circulation fell flat on Friday as ATMs and banks ran dry in the city.
Queues and crowds ‘disappeared’ for most of the day from ATMs and banks which were literally under siege for over a week.
The currency chests of all Jaipur banks were empty after the consignment from the printing press failed to reach till late evening, delaying the dispersal of notes.
Banks officials ensured that there were no queues from early in the morning and those who arrived were informed about the cash crunch.
According to the manager of a public bank, the RBI had asked banks to hold on till arrangements were made for replenishing currencies. “The situation is not quite good as people kept coming to the bank throughout the day. They had to return empty handed, disappointed and we are in no position to even tell them when the money will arrive,” said an official on the condition of anonymity.
Small stocks that the banks had in the currency chest were exhausted after refilling ATMs. “Our branch had some currency, but it was used for filling up the ATMs. We all are now waiting for fresh stock,” added the official.
Sources claimed that the consignment has been airlifted from the printing press to Jaipur to reduce time. All cash-carrying vans have been deployed outside currency chests of banks.
By evening, however, the situation became unmanageable as people thronged ATMs. Raja Park, Vaishali Nagar and the Walled City witnessed long queues and the police had to intervene to manage the crowd.
But Friday’s cash crunch came as a respite for bank employees who got some time to finish their pending bank work.
Some banks called potential customers who wanted to open bank accounts. However, bank employees are apprehensive of the situation on Saturday.
“We are expecting a huge rush. The situation which had become better is now back to square one because of the unavailability of cash for one day,” said a RBI official.
Cash swapping at petrol pumps come as a relief for the public in some parts of rural Rajasthan. People with debit cards were allowed to swipe at selected petrol pumps and could take Rs 2,000 in cash. “The facility is available only in rural parts of the state and at only 10-20 pumps across Rajasthan,” said Suneet Bagai, president, Rajasthan Petroleum Dealers’ Association.