BHUBANESWAR: In Bhubaneswar, Express checked out SBI, Bank of India, UCO Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Central Bank, Canara Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Axis Bank at the following locations: Unit VI, Unit VII, Unit IX, Surya Nagar, Gopabandhu Nagar, Sahid Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Forest Park, Satya Nagar and Mali Sahi.
There was no cash crunch in any of the bank branches we visited. Most of the banks allowed customers to use withdrawal slips, while a few stuck to the self cheque route. Withdrawal from PoS machines was also available at bigger branches. At most banks, we saw about 60-70 customers waiting to withdraw money.
At some banks, the number was 120-130. One branch reported it dispensed about `18 lakh on Friday, though the average was around `7-10 lakh. All the branches we visited stuck to the RBImandated limit of `24,000 per week with no bank setting any lower limit on its own.
A person had to wait for about 15 minutes to get cash. However, the problem of change persisted as most banks are giving out only `2,000 notes. Only in the case of smaller amounts, `100 currencies are being given. Just one bank had `500 notes.