GUNTUR: A 75-year-old retired employee of a social welfare hostel in Macherla of Guntur district died on Wednesday, a day after he collapsed while standing in a queue to withdraw cash at a bank. He breathed his last while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Narasaraopet.
Sk Moulali, the victim, retired 10 years ago after working as a peon and had been living with his family members at the PWD colony in Macherla. His pension was the only source of income for the entire family.
He had been visiting the SBI branch at Macherla for the last 10 days to withdraw his pension, but only to go every day empty-handed. He went to the bank on Tuesay as well, and stood in the queue for a few hours after which he complained of chest pain and collapsed.
The locals rushed him to a private hospital in the town and informed his family. Doctors told them that he suffered cardiac arrest and advised them to take him to Narasaraopet. As the family members did not have cash, they collected money from neighbours before taking him to a private hospital in Narasaraopet. They said he might have survived had he been rushed to the hospital early.
After coming to know of his death, several customers, particularly pensioners, had a heated argument with the bank staff and demanded separate counters for the aged. Considering the situation, the bank set up additional counters and allowed pensioners to withdraw money up to `10,000.
Meanwhile, a stampede occurred at the SBI branch in Amaravati, in which two women were injured.