Serpentine queues outside banks, ATMs on Sunday

Long serpentine queues were seem in front of banks and ATMs on the fourth consecutive day on Sunday as thousands of anxious people waited to deposit or exchange their spiked currency or take out cash.

People formed queues in front of banks much before their scheduled time to open, to exchange ctheir Rs 500 and 1,000 notes or deposit cash.

"I am standing here in the queue since 4 a.m. What else I could do as I have no meny to buy food," said a person in a queue outside an ATM in Lajpat Nagar, south Delhi.

Sunday is the fourth day after banks reopened across the country following a day's closure after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Tuesday night that 500 and 1,000 rupee notes would no more be legal tender.

On Sunday, larger crowds were witnessed since most people were off work.

"It is my off today (Sunday) so I have dedicated my entire day to widhdraw money from the bank as I have no cash to go office on Monday," Abhishek Mishra, an IT professional, who queued up in front of an HDFC Bank branch in Noida sector, 18 told IANS.

Although Sunday is a holiday, the government had ordered all banks across the country to function on the weekend.

Some people who were standing in the queue showed patience and praised the bank officials for working extra.

"We all are being troubled be it the normal public or the bank employees. We should understand that they are doing extra work so that we all could get money," another person standing it a queue outside Bank of Baroda in Noida sector 18 told IANS.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has put its volunteers at task of helping people standing in the queues to get their spiked high valued currency notes exchanged or deposite cash.

The Congress has also deployed its workers to help people standing in lines outside banks by providing them tea and water.

Taken aback by the mass crisis, the government has extended till November 14 midnight the original 72-hour deadline for utilities to use the banned currency.

--IANS

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