Even as several parts of India reported severe cash crunch at automated teller machines (ATMs), Guwahatians have also faced some similar issues in the city.
A resident of Jyotikuchi, Rajkamal Pandey said, “From Khanapara to Lokhara not even a single ATM was dispensing cash on 16th April.” He had some urgent requirement of cash and later managed to withdraw some cash from a State Bank of India (SBI) ATM at Lal Ganesh.
On the stretch of AK Azad Road, from Sarabhatti to Lokhra, the residents keep complaining that most of the ATMs do not dispense cash during the night.
Residents of Noonmati also reported similar issues saying the ATMs in the locality frequently run out of cash.
Guwahatians also keep complaining about non-availability of lower denomination currency notes of Rs 100 and Rs 200 in the ATMs.
A resident of Panjabari, Biplob Bhuyan said, “At the end of every month I keep searching for ATMs which would dispense 100/200 rupee notes, but these are difficult to come by,” adding that he sometimes gets 100 rupee notes in some ATMs, but till date he has never come across an ATM dispensing 200 rupee notes.
While the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launched the 200 rupee note in August 2017 (according to media reports), it might have taken three months for ATMs in Guwahati to start dispensing the new denomination currency as making it available through ATMs involves a huge exercise of recalibration of the ATMs. But even after 8 months citizens are not getting 200 rupee notes from the ATMs.
There are 300 State Bank of India (SBI) ATMs in Guwahati and all other banks included, there are around 1,000 ATMs across the city.
SBI claims there is no cash crunch in Guwahati
The State Bank of India (SBI) has claimed that there is no cash crunch in Guwahati.
Chief General Manager of SBI, PVSLN Murthy said, “There was a Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) link problem because of the cyclone in Kolkata. Hence there was complete failure in BSNL connectivity leading to ATMs malfunctioning.” Murthy talked to G Plus on 19th April.
Murthy claimed that like the other parts of the country there is no cash shortage issue in the northeast and Guwahati.
In the entire northeast there is 86% availability of cash in the automated teller machines (ATMs), according to him.
On 18th April, SBI received Rs 500 crores and on 19th April it received an additional Rs 200 crores. Both the caches were distributed across northeast.
Murthy said, “Not only ATMs but even bank branches were not functioning because of the link failure.”
Talking about unavailability of lower denomination notes, Murthy said that 200 rupee notes are available but gets exhausted soon.
He said, “Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is issuing 200 rupee notes and ATMs have been accordingly recalibrated.”
Out of 3,400 ATMs, 1,716 were recalibrated in northeast. All 300 SBI ATMs have been recalibrated in Guwahati.
He said that the outsourcing agency which loads the ATMs load only 500 rupee notes because 200 rupee notes get cashed out very soon.
“RBI is not issuing Rs 100 notes,” Murthy said.
Cash crunch issue almost solved: RBI
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) claimed that the cash crunch issue has almost been resolved.
A source in RBI Mumbai, talking to G Plus said, “Cash crunch was a logistical issue and since last three days it has almost been solved across the country except at two-three places.”
Talking about the reasons, the source said that after 31st March there was a reasonable surge in the amount of withdrawals.
The festivals like Bihu and Baisakhi are the added reason for the surge. Therefore channels of ATMs went dry but in some pockets only.
The RBI source claimed that no cash crunch was reported in Guwahati and northeast.
This tendency happens every year but this year it was slightly greater, said the RBI source.
“We had problems in north Bihar, Telangana, Andhra, some parts in Madhya Pradesh,” the source added.
At present 85 to 90% ATMs are functioning and the rest will start functioning sooner than later.