Noida ATMs not functioning

Most ATMs in Noida, including those of ICICI Bank, Canara Bank and Corporation Bank, were not operational on Friday.

After the government demonetized high denomination currency notes on Tuesday night, it announced that people could withdraw the new series of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes from the ATMs starting Thursday midnight.

However, most of the automated teller machines (ATMs) were not functional on Friday.

An IANS correspondent who visited various ATMs of banks in the area in the morning, found that most were not operational. The State Bank of India (SBI) ATM was the only one functioning.

Bank guards said that cash was yet to be loaded at these vending machines.

"There is no cash in the machine. What we have heard from the authorities is that it would arrive only after noon (on Friday)," ICICI Bank guard Rajesh Kumar told IANS.

Punjab National Bank ATMs were switched off and shutters of Canara Bank ATMs that were down at 10 a.m. had not opened even after 3 p.m.

At 3 p.m. none of the ATMs in Sector-16 market here had any cash in them.

Even the SBI ATM's shutter was down by afternoon, when the bank ran out of cash and people were only able to deposit money in their accounts.

All banks visited by IANS saw serpentine queues outside them and guards struggling to manage the crowd.

"The banks may remain open till the usual time but we won't be able to go home until after 8 p.m. The rush is more than yesterday's (Thursday). I am keeping the people out since most of staff has gone for lunch," a guard at SBI office told IANS.

"They at least deserve their meal in peace after so much work," he added.

The agitation among people after hours' wait and lengthy queues was obvious when thy failed to recognize the staff returning from lunch and got into a scuffle with the guard for allowing them in.

"Why are you letting them in?" shouted some in the irate mob. "Are we fools standing here for hours?" The guards then calmed them down by explaining that those were the bank employees, who would exchange their old notes or deposit these in their accounts..

--IANS

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