Many ATMs in West Bengal running short of cash due to Covid-19 restrictions

Several ATMs in West Bengal are

running short of currency as private entities entrusted with the cash-filling task are operating with skeletal staff, sources said on Monday.

Many lenders have outsourced the exercise to such entities, who are responsible for the maintenance and operation of ATMs in the state, they said.

West Bengal convenor of All India Bank Officers Confederation (AIBOC) Sanjay Das said these private companies generally withdraw money from chests every Friday, since banks in the state are shut on Saturday and Sunday.

"I visited two ATMs near my place on Monday morning, and both were dry. Many in the neighbourhood, too, complained about it. Today being Rakhi, I had planned a feast for my brother, but with the little cash I had, it could not materialise," said Ananya Dasgupta, a resident of Jadavpur.

Owing to COVID-19 protocols and restrictions, these entities are operating with minuscule staff and are closed on weekends, resulting in delays in cash-filling, the sources said.

"But, they are trying to refill cash in all the ATMs," Das said.

He also said all on-site ATMs within bank premises have not gone dry, as cash-filling in such machines is taken care of by the lenders and not third parties.