Queues outside banks, ATMs on pay day in Gujarat

With today being pay day for majority of salaried employees and pensioners, a large number of people queued up outside banks and ATMs since early morning at many places in Gujarat to withdraw cash.
The banks, meanwhile, regulated supply of cash to their customers to tide over the currency crisis.
Several banks restricted cash withdrawal due to paucity of funds, while a number of ATMs remained inoperative.
Long queues were seen outside most banks and a limited number of ATMs which were dispensing cash, as people lined up in large numbers to withdraw money from their salary accounts for day-to-day expenditure.

Many customers were disappointed as banks regulated cash availability and many of them could not withdraw more than Rs 10,000, despite the Centre increasing the withdrawal limit to Rs 24,000 per week.
Several banks informed their customers that they cannot withdraw more than Rs 10,000, in order to meet the demands of maximum people due to limited cash availability.

Some banks also turned away people, saying they had exhausted the cash and were yet to receive more of it.
Some pensioners complained about long queues and lamented that banks had made no arrangements for senior citizens to withdraw money easily.

"I have come here since 6 AM to withdraw cash from my salary account as I need money for daily needs," said Pradip Jain, standing in queue at a nationalised bank branch here.
"While government has fixed Rs 24,000 limit for withdrawal, the bank manager told us we cannot withdraw more than Rs 10,000 due to limited cash availability," he said.
Rajesh Bhavsar, who stood in a queue outside a leading private bank branch in the city, faced similar predicament, after the bank limited withdrawal to Rs 10,000 per person due to limited cash availability.
Hiraben Dani, a pensioner, said she could not withdraw

money due to huge rush at banks. Her husband, Pradip Dani, said he has curtailed family expenditure so as to limit cash withdrawal.
"I am exhausted. I went to the bank to withdraw money but had to return (empty-handed) as I started feeling dizzy standing in the queue. I don't even have money for day-to-day expenditure. It is a tough situation," Hiraben said.
"We have curtailed expenditure so that we can save cash. We try to stay indoors to save money. There is no separate queue for senior citizens which makes withdrawal difficult," Hiraben's husband said.
Meanwhile, a branch of another leading nationalised bank downed its shutters even as people queued up, saying it exhausted all the cash yesterday afternoon and has not received fresh supply.

"I have been standing here since morning but the bank says it does not have any idea when it will receive cash. I need money for daily use, so I will have to take leave from office to withdraw money," said Vipul Patel, who stood in the queue outside the bank branch in Vadodara.