Banks fear chaos after long weekend, ask for security

HYDERABAD: Banks across the city have asked for police protection as they open for business on Tuesday after three consecutive holidays. Bank officials are expecting to have a tough time dealing with a surge of cash-starved and angry customers.
“We have been asking the police to provide protection to us as customers tend to lose their cool when there is no cash,“ V V S R Sarma, general secretary of the National Confederation of Bank Employees (NCBE) told TOI.
More policing is required in sensitive areas and also where the customer base is high, he added.
Employees are worried as there have been several in stances of customers manhandling them. “One customer from another branch of our bank came and insisted on withdrawing money , and when I told him that we ran out of cash and expressed my inability to help him, he scolded me and I had to summon the police for help,“ the manager of an Andhra Bank branch said.
Earlier, the All India Bank Employees' Association (AIBEA) and All India Bank Officers' Association (AIBOA) dashed off letters to the Indian Bankers' Association (IBA) seeking proper security for staff. Post-demonetization, bank officials have sought protection whenever required, and police personnel have been present till transactions conclude.
Bank authorities say they are not in a position to inform their respective branches about the amount of cash expected to be dispatched each day . While most banks send currency to branches every Monday , the amount expected to be received is never confirmed. “We usually cease cash transactions within one hour everyday . The duration is likely to be even shorter after this long holiday if we don't receive sufficient bank notes,“ Venakata Ramayya, general secretary of the All India Bank Employees' Union, said.