COIMBATORE: Lack of ATMs centres is forcing plantation workers in Valparai to take either half-day leave to visit the nearest town or pay commission to private individuals to withdraw money from their bank accounts.
The workers say it was difficult to withdraw salary or money for emergencies as there is no ATM centre in the hill. Workers say they pay Rs 15 as commission to private persons to withdraw Rs 1,000.
P Nethaji, an estate worker, said, “We stay 13 km from the Valparai town. Most estates credit wages on the seventh day. The town has seven ATM centres, but they run out of cash as everybody heads there to withdraw.”
He said that either they would swipe workers’ ATM card in point of sale machine or ask them to send money to shop’s bank account through UPI transaction.
M Marimuthu, an estate worker, said, “Most of time I use to spend commission for getting of cash from private stores as ATMs go out of cash or service. Since I am travelling for seven km from my work place, I cannot spend another one day for withdrawing of cash. It will take almost half a day, if the tea estate workers go for withdrawing cash. It would be calculated as loss of pay.”
P Paramasivam, secretary of tea estate workers welfare association, said, “Almost 20,000 workers are working in around 56 tea estates in Valparai. All estates are dispensing wages on 7-8th day of every month, workers travel to Valparai town to withdraw cash at the same time.
Before demonetization and roll out of digital payments, there was no such issue as wages would be distributed in cash by management. The distance to Valparai town for some estate workers is almost 30 km. They have to spend almost a day to withdraw cash.”
He added that SBI operates a mobile ATM for workers but it does serve the purpose, because of lack of network connection in most estates.
P Kausalya Devi, District Lead Bank Manager, she said, “To facilitate cash withdrawal, we have planned to distribute cash to workers through Banking Correspondent. We have identified seven places where a local resident would be made in-charge by banking correspondent for distributing cash after checking on workers’ bank balance. Our banking correspondent would monitor the activity day today basis.”
She recalled that already mobile ATM was being operated and banking correspondent used to visit directly to distribute cash.
“Since workers are complaining, we have made the additional facility for placing a local person permanently for distributing cash at his place,” she added.