Long queues continue outside banks in Gurgaon

Residents were armed with water bottles and snacks on Saturday while standing in queues outside banks to exchange the out-of-circulation currency.

Residents were armed with water bottles and snacks on Saturday while standing in queues outside banks to exchange the out-of-circulation currency.

Gurgaon deputy commissioner TL Satyaprakash and MLA Umesh Agarwal held separate meetings in the evening with the lead bank manager RC Nayak to discuss the situation and steps to be taken in coming days. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

Those working in corporate companies joined the lines in large numbers as it was their off day.

The failure of almost 90% of the 1,300 ATMs in Gurgaon to dispense cash added to the woes of residents. Government sources said that the district administration had asked for an additional ₹4,760 crores from the Reserve Bank of India.

The banks distributed around ₹1,000 crores but it failed to resolve the cash crisis, officials said.

Gurgaon deputy commissioner TL Satyaprakash and MLA Umesh Agarwal held separate meetings in the evening with the lead bank manager RC Nayak to discuss the situation and steps to be taken in coming days.

The post office, which had asked for ₹2 crores, received ₹20 lakh. “In the last three days, ₹22 crores have been deposited by customers,” CJ Arora, post master, Gurgaon, said.

“I have been standing in queue for last 3 hours but it is not moving a bit. There is a single line for everyone and I have to exchange notes but it is taking too long,” Deepa Yadav, an IT executive who was waiting outside ICICI Bank in Sector 15.

Gurgaon MLA Umesh Agarwal said that he has spoken to the authorities in Chandigarh and the finance department to resolve the problems. “There is a fear among people. They want to deposit money and get new currency fast, which is adding to the chaos,” Agarwal said.

Meanwhile, bank officials said that replacing notes is a challenging process.

Lead Bank manager RC Nayak called for patience as the entire banking machinery was working overtime. “There is no need to panic as all banks are trying to ensure faster dispersal of new notes and quick transactions. People need to cooperate with us,” he said.

Despite long wait, customers stood firm to exchange their notes and most supported the decision to demonetise ₹500, ₹1,000 notes.