DC urges traders to opt for e-transactions

DHANBAD: DC A Dodde on Wednesday appealed to traders, representatives of Chamber of Commerce and petrol station owners to go cashless.
Addressing owners of retail outlets, delegates of petroleum dealers association and leaders of chamber of commerce at DRDA hall, Dodde said that the installation of Point of Sale (POS) machines and cheque transactions are the only ways to cope with the ongoing money crisis.He added that the necessary negotiations have been done with public sector banks and installation of POS machine has been selected as the top priority.
Traders mostly welcomed the decision, although few grievances were raised by retailers such as the transaction fee charged by banks, delay in installation of POS machines, lack of awareness and reluctance of customers in swiping cards.
Dhanbad chamber of commerce president Rajesh Gupta said most customers are not ready to swipe their ATM cards due to fear of becoming victim of cyber-fraud. He also said that wholesale shopkeepers carry their business with a very narrow margin and transaction fees would only lead to a loss.
Gupta, however, said that traders and shopkeepers in the municipal corporation area have agreed to go cashless but in sub-urban and rural areas, cashless transactions do not appear to be feasible.
Addressing the grievances, the DC said that public sector banks are not charging any transaction fees these days and banks in the district are working hard to fulfill the demand for POS machines. Speaking to TOI, Dodde said people should start trying alternative channels and minimise their dependency on cash. He added that the meeting proved to be successful and petroleum dealers assured of opting for electronic transactions.