Picture this. You are inside an ATM counter and the screen on the machine flashes messages like ‘link-failure,’ ‘unable to dispense cash.’ How flustered does it feel not to be able to use it. Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are omnipresent and have become part of our daily lives. When they fail, needless to say, we feel the pinch.
Sadly, that has become the norm today. Although the number of ATMs has spiralled over the years, the instances of these machines breaking down are dime a dozen. While daily users are seen grumbling over the poor services and maintenance, banks are equally exasperated over their rising dysfunctional status, thanks to ‘manhandling’ by the users and misuse.
‘’I do not understand why these have been installed if we cannot withdraw money when needed? I missed my train because I had to stand in this long queue for money and another queue for my ticket,’’ said Sandhya who travels from Bhubaneswar to Mancheswar everyday.
There are as many as four ATMs installed by four different banks at the City Railway Station. However, most of the time a long queue can be seen in front of one because three out of the four remain defunct most of the times. There have been days when all the four have gone defunct at the same time.
Irresponsible use of the security system, theft, lack of maintenance and a host of reasons are attributed to increasing break-down of ATMs in the City.
‘’We are forced to remove the access lock, that cost ` 25,000 each, as it goes defunct every few months because the users barge in without swiping the card at the gate,’’ said Pandeb Sahoo, Senior Manager (RCS), Union Bank.
The common notices that greet people at the ATMs are ‘Out of Order’, ‘Not Enough Cash’ and ‘Link Failure’. It is not only the passengers but tourists too suffer because the ATMs at the railway stations, bus stops and airports are used by hundreds of daily travellers. ‘’I had a harrowing time withdrawing cash here. I was told that there are four ATMs at the station and when I reach here, they do not work,’’ said a tourist from Uttar Pradesh.
The deteriorating law and order situation in the city has also contributed to poor ATM services. The banks have reported increasing theft of batteries, air conditioners (ACs) and other devices installed in the ATM counters.
‘’The guard at the ATM counter in Lewis road was beaten up and the batteries were stolen recently,’’ said SN Mattagajasingh, Senior Manager (IT) of Bank of India. Sahoo says that the AC in their ATM counter opposite Pantaloons was stolen twice in last six months. ‘’Now we have appointed three guards to man the counter,’’ he said.
There were thefts in the counters at Omfed Square, Surya Nagar, Gopabandhu Square, besides at the Railway Station and other places. The railway station counter was a dream project but it has turned into a liability for us, said another senior official of Union Bank.
Agreeing that the thefts of batteries have increased, a senior official of State Bank of India said the ATMs had to be closed after the batteries were stolen. ‘’We cannot replace the batteries until a police case is registered and it takes time,’’ the official added.
Lack of vigil by the police patrolling vans and failure to nab the culprits involved in the theft at the ATM counters are main reasons for such rising incidence, another bank official said.
There are other management issues that plague the ATM maintenance. A huge shortage of manpower affects the banks even though the ATM network is spreading very rapidly. ‘’There is no special recruitment in the IT wing for monitoring ATMs. Only two of us manage the twin cities for our bank,’’ said an official on condition of anonymity.
Following a decision by the Centre, the cash-management and maintenance of ATMs was outsourced to vendors. This has led to a communication gap between the banks and the vendors responsible to maintain the ATMs, replenishment of cash and cleanliness of the counter, added Sahoo.
As the vendors are not accountable to the banks directly it is difficult to apprise them about the issues. They take their own sweet time to fix the problem, added another banker.