Cash drought at ATMs to ease soon with supply of new currency notes

The crisis in cash availability resulting in long queues before ATMs and banks is set to improve soon in a day or two as new notes have started arriving from Salboni printing press in West Midnapore district.

On the pay day on Thursday, ATMs and banks saw a renewed surge of customers lining up. To see that everybody gets cash, banks have rationed cash disbursement.

“Today, new Rs 500 notes have arrived and tomorrow they will be made available to ATMs brightening up the situation,” a source in ATM cash management company CMS said.

He said cash availability for ATMs of most banks is not adequate and many remained dry in the last 2-3 days.

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However, things are not so bad for State Bank of India. An SBI official said close to 2,700 ATMs remained functional out of 3,500 approximately.

“We have all denomination notes of Rs 100, Rs 500 (limited) and Rs 2,000 notes. We are trying to supply as far as possible,” the official said.

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Members of the Trinamool Karmachari Union held protest before the Reserve Bank of India office on Thursday.