VIJAYAWADA: With effect from April 1, the ATMs set up next to bank branches (onsite ATMs) will have 24-hour cash supply and the customers can withdraw any amount any time. Similarly, all the onsite ATMs of nationalised banks will be recalibrated by the respective bank managements rather than ATM management services.
“In the past, the onsite ATMs would get filled by the same branch. But, after a while, ATM management services and logistics companies were given the responsibility of filling the ATMs with cash. Based on the contract, the companies would load the ATMs with cash. But post-demonetisation, with a view to cope up with cash crisis and avoid dispensing of fake notes, the bank managements decided to go with the same old formula of filling the onsite ATMs by the same branches,” said SBI Prajasakthi Nagar Branch Manager M Vinay Mohan. However, few bankers are opposing the move stating that cash availability at the bank branches is quite less when compared to pre-demonetisation days. “It is not a problem to fill the ATMs, onsite or offsite, with cash. If we don’t fill the ATMs, people will visit the banks. If we fill the ATMs, we won’t have cash at the branches. Nowadays, we don’t have enough cash supply from chests or through deposits. We are still depending on the RBI circulation. At this point of time, it is hard to maintain both ATMs and the branch at a go,” explained SBI AGM S Ravi Kumar.