People suffer as ATMs run dry on weekends

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, August 25

Bank customers are a harried lot as most of the automated teller machines (ATMs) run dry on weekends. As a result, residents have to face a harrowing time.

For instance, this correspondent on Sunday visited three ATMs in the town and found that these did not dispense any currency notes.

Some people who had come to these ATM kiosks blamed the bank officials for this situation. They said, “Every weekend, the same situation prevails. But no one is paying any attention to the problem. Commoners are facing difficulties. The Deputy Commissioner should issue directions to bank officials to replenish the ATMs with cash on weekends.”

Meanwhile, even security guards were not found deployed outside ATMs. A visit to some ATMs located on Bank Road, Railway Road and Bura Gujjar Road here revealed that the situation was same everywhere.

Even the doors of some ATM kiosks were found open and a large number of paper slips were littered on the floor. Further, the air-conditioners (ACs) too were not working.

Surprisingly, the cash collection machines were working and collecting currency notes, but these were not dispensing cash.

“Bank officials seem to have set the machine to accept only currency notes and dispense no cash. In this modern era, we are unable to withdraw our own money deposited in banks. Is this our digital India?” asked Gurmeet Singh, a local resident.

Meanwhile, some residents of Malout and Gidderbaha towns informed that the situation was almost same there and that too for the past some time.