PANAJI
As public sector and regional rural banks are to remain shut for a three-day nationwide strike from Monday, some banks in Goa have approached the police seeking security around their premises, particularly at night, amid concerns over the safety of cash, documents and other valuables inside the branches.
“Some banks have formally written to us to provide additional security around their banks, especially during the nights. We have forwarded the request letters to higher-ups for directions, if any,” a senior officer told The Goan.
The requests come as the Centre asked States and Union Territories to ensure adequate security at critical banking infrastructure during the strike called by the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) from September 28 to 30.
The Department of Financial Services (DFS), under the Union Finance Ministry, had earlier this week asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to issue advisories to all States and UTs for security arrangements at banking installations that could be vulnerable during the prolonged closure.
The security advisory covers currency chests, cheque-clearing processing centres, data centres, data-recovery centres, treasury operations, information technology and cyber security centres and ATMs.
The three-day strike is expected to result in an extended disruption to normal banking operations, as it coincided with the weekend holiday.
However, this Sunday, September 27, public sector banks and regional rural banks will function normally to ensure citizens’ banking needs are not adversely affected for an extended period.
Meanwhile, the Goa Urban Co-operative Bank and Goa State Co-operative Bank will not participate in the nationwide strike, as it informed its customers their branches will remain open and fully operational during regular banking hours.
