Bank / Credit Union
India's West Bengal ATMs running out of cash
August 3, 2020
ATMs in West Bengal, India, are running out of money. The private companies, outsourced by banks, to maintain and fill the ATMs are operating with skeleton crews due to COVID-19, according to a New Indian Express report.
Sanjay Das, of the All India Bank Officers Confederation, said private companies generally fill the machines every Friday, as banks are shut on Saturday and Sunday.
"I visited two ATMs near my place on Monday morning, and both were dry," Ananya Dasgupta, a Jadavpur resident, told the news outlet. "Many in the neighborhood, 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 materialize."
The maintenance companies claim the various protocols and restrictions they must now follow due to COVID-19 is to blame for the delays as well.
Das said all onsite ATMs within bank premises are dry, as cash-filling is taken care of by the lenders and not third parties.
