ATM-hopping, endless queueing spoil Sunday

LUCKNOW: Hunt for ATMs with cash continued on Sunday as people ran from one machine to another and lined up wherever cash was available. Since most ATMs were replenished only once in the day and that too with only Rs 100 notes, they ran out of cash within a couple of hours. Fortunate ones were able to withdraw till the time cash lasted in the machine, while those at the back of the queue began their search afresh.Some also came with ATM cards of the entire family to withdraw more than the permitted Rs 2,000.
Monika Pant, who was carrying a 2-year-old child and had commuted from Indiranangar to Gomtinagar and failed to find an ATM, where she could withdraw cash, said, “If there is no cash, the guard at the ATM should put up a sticker of ‘cash unavailable’.”
Telibagh resident Aman Mathur, threw up shocker of the day when he tried to put his card in the machine of a private bank ATM and it got stuck even as all customer assistance phone lines remained busy. “No cash, no card, is the ultimate nightmare...it is not an ATM, its is Asphyxiated Teller Machine,” he said wryly.
According to Anisha Rawat, “People came in with as many as six ATM cards and taking 20 minutes each which should not be allowed by banks and it must be ensured by the security staff that a person is not allowed more than one transaction,” she said.
“I stood in the line around 9am and got the chance to enter the ATM booth at 11: 30 and it took me more than 15 minutes to withdraw money,” said Raghu Singh.
“There are more than 200 persons in three different queues and ATMs are running slow while queues turn longer,” said Ankush Jaiswal.
“Machine is not working properly. When I chose English language, it responded in Hindi although it took more than 10 minutes for withdrawal,” said Rakesh Tripathi.
“I was hesitant in using a card to withdraw cash, as I thought that it’s not fully secure but since the demonetisation, there is no option and when I went to the bank concerned to get my card issued they said they were too busy at the moment,” said Shakuntala Verma, of Rajendranagar.