the goan I network
PANAJI
Goans tasted a diluted version of the gloom of a cash deprived Christmas Eve of 2016 amidst the then demonetization chaos, what with many ATMs running dry on Monday.
And, with banks slated to be shut due to intermittent holidays and strikes for the next five days the festive spirit this season could turn out to be a damp squib for locals and tourists alike, if authorities do not replenish ATMs with cash.
“I am trying to remove cash from my account for last two days but the cash is not being dispensed through the ATM”, a customer who was standing outside an ATM of a nationalised bank in Panaji, said.
Many ATMs were also taking an unusually long time to dispense money which one Bank official claimed was due to excessive use of ATMs by customers on a large scale.
“The message ‘your transaction could not to completed’ or ‘your transaction is timed out’ was repeatedly flashing across screens at ATMs I have attempted to withdraw money from,” another customer said.
Banking services will be affected across the country in the coming days due to strikes, Christmas and weekend holidays.
Cheque and cash withdrawals at banks was not possible on December 21, 22 and 23, and Banks will be shut on Tuesday for Christmas while on Wednesday the Bank unions have called for a strike to oppose Bank mergers proposed by the government.
