Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Bank and postal staff sweat over on a Sunday


Bank and postal staff sweat over on a Sunday

Bengaluru: Nov 14, 2016, DHNS

People queue up outside State Bank of India's Wilson Garden branch on Sunday. DH Photo

Over the last few days, Urvashi Chakma, who works at Canara Bank, Cantonment branch, has been unable to reach home before sunset. Besides managing the unusual rush and impatient crowd, she is also sacrificing her personal and family time. But the young officer has no complaints. 

Post-demonetisation, unending queues have become a common sight at banks, ATMs and post offices in Bengaluru and elsewhere. The situation remained the same on Sunday. Bank staff see no let-up in the next few weeks. 


“We are doing our best to clear the rush. Sometimes, people get impatient and pick an argument, but we calm them down,” Chakma said. “They have many legitimate questions and our job is to answer them.” 

She further said that, given the hectic workload, she had postponed her household chores, such as washing clothes, to the next weekend. Her colleague, Smrithi K R, recalled the frenzied activity on Thursday and Friday when banks opened after a two-day break following demonetisation. Many members of the staff burnt the midnight oil. “There was a sort of panic in the beginning, which is now dying down slowly. People are becoming co-operative,” she said. 

Nanjundaiah, branch manager, State Bank of India, MG Road, said they had set aside regular work to clear the rush. Pramod Kumar Gupta, assistant general manager, Corporation Bank, gave credit to his staff for working patiently. “About 90% of our staff are women. To manage the rush, we have set up separate counters for withdrawal, deposit and exchange of notes,” he said. “I feel like a soldier fighting against black money. There is pressure, but we are not complaining.” 

Geetha S Kumar, special assistant at State Bank of Mysore, MG Road, echoed him. Radha Krishna Murthy, another employee, said that roughly about 500 people were visiting the branch every day to swap the old notes. This is in addition to people who want to deposit old notes and withdraw cash. The rush has come down but we expect more visitors over the next few days, he said. 

Ravi Das, Postal Inspector, General Post Office, Bengaluru, said the number of customers had increased manifold. “We are working till 8.30 pm to check the daily accounts. There was no let-up on Sunday,” he said. 

P V Kamath, assistant general manager, Canara Bank, Cantonment branch, said that though they were coping well, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) must provide banks notes of smaller denomination. “People want notes of smaller denomination for their daily needs. It’s difficult for them to get change for a 2,000-rupee note. The RBI should supply more 50- and 100-rupee notes,” he noted. 

The demonetisation seems to have helped open more new accounts. “An industrialist who usually pays his labourers in cash come to our bank on Sunday and explained his problem. I advised him to open bank accounts for his 150 employees. He agreed.

From now on, he will pay them through the bank,” Kamath said. 

Source : DH News Service ( http://www.deccanherald.com)



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