Cash crunch in Visakhapatnam banks leaves employees jittery

Teachers could withdraw only D1,000 from banks in Paderu mandal

VISAKHAPATNAM: Despite having their salaries credited into bank accounts, the cash shortage at banks and ATMs continue to bug down the salaried class on Friday. The employees who earlier have purchased daily essentials from shops on credit with the promise of making the payments after salaries are credited are now counting embarrassing moments for they do not have enough cash even after the payday.

The anger and tiredness were writ large on the people’s faces who spent almost the entire day in either being queued up at banks to withdraw money or scouting for ATMs dispensing cash. Many of them had to return home with empty hands, as the cash was short in supply at banks.

People waiting in a long queue at an ATM centre
in Vizag on Friday | RVK Rao

Meanwhile, AP Non-Gazetted Officers Association lamented that though the government had assured to pay Rs 10,000 in cash to employees and teachers, majority of the banks could not pay even Rs 1,000 cash to teachers. Thousands of teachers and employees who are working in the rural and Agency areas shared their bitter experiences when they went to the banks to draw salaries. They complained of not being able to draw even the Rs 4,000 cash. “The government is insisting us to stay at our workplace.

How can we survive in a tribal area like Paderu with no adequate banking facilities? Today, I could withdraw only Rs 2,000 that too after the payday. It seems people have to go hungry in national interest,” M Varalakshmi, a government school teacher decried.

The NGOs also are bearing the brunt. “The government has instructed banks to make arrangements so that all NGO members working in government schemes get at least Rs 10,000 in cash on the payday. Many NGO staffers working with the Collectorate have their accounts in SBI, Maharanipeta branch. But, the banks could pay only Rs 4,000 per person,” K Eswara Rao, president of APNGO, Vizag.

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