E-Paper
Banks? defence mantra: ATM-ise city to counter strike!
THE NEXT time you hear about banking employees? warning of a long strike, just don?t panic! Because, the city will have one ATM every 10 sq km? That?s no distance for facility.
THE NEXT time you hear about banking employees’ warning of a long strike, just don’t panic!
Because, the city will have one ATM every 10 sq km— That’s no distance for facility.
Major banks have already decided to open 4 to 7 ATMs to cover various city localities. At present there 221 ATMs. But, the with the new ones coming, the number will rise to 238 for 2,500 sq km of city area.
The State Bank of India (SBI) would be adding another 7 ATMs to the total number of 47 ATMs (including ATMs installed by its sister banks) by December 2006. the focus is busy stretch from Naka Hindola to Rajajipuram.
The city has 27 small and big public and private sector banks focusing on prime locations, commercial complexes or petrol pumps on busy traffic intersections.
Most banks for the first time, have now decided to focus on residential colonies in the Kanpur road, Alambagh and Vikas Nagar regions while still keeping their plans intact on having more ATMs in Hazratganj, Ashok Marg areas by the end of this year.
“By December 2007, SBI would be covering most of the other untapped areas in the city starting with Sahara Ganj, Charbagh Railway Station, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) (Northern Railway) office in Hazratganj with the possibility of installing another ATM in the Ashok Marg area”, SBI Chief General Manager, Lucknow Circle, Shiva Kumar told HT Live.
The SBI’s ATM’s in the Lucknow city region registers, on an average, a total of Rs 5 lakh worth of cash withdrawals with around 300 hits per day.
The Punjab National Bank (PNB) has 19 ATMs installed in the city. “We intend to add another 4 ATMs which would cover Vikas Nagar, Chhata Mill and Jankipuram regions, says Keshav Agarwal, General Manager PNB (UP East region). The PNB already has ATMs installed in Alambagh and Bangla Bazar localities which cater to the high density population in the Kanpur Road localities, he said.
The HDFC Bank is also firming up plans to install ATMs in Naka Hindola, Ashiana and Rajajipuram while planning a branch each in Alambagh, Aminabad and Chowk areas. “We currently have 5 ATMs in the city in the bank branches with 7 off-site ATMs installed in strategic locations. It is intended to add another 6 ATMs by the end of December 2006”, Govind Pandey, Zonal Head, (UP , Uttaranchal & parts of Haryana), HDFC Bank said.
“HDFC Bank will be installing an ATM in the Aliganj area in the proximity of Sitapur road while another machine would be installed at Kapoorthala complex by December 2006”, he said. Pandey said HDFC’s ATMs, on an average Register total cash withdrawals worth Rs 7 to 8 lakhs per day with around 350 hits per ATM.
An ICICI Bank official when contacted in New Delhi said that the bank currently has 9 ATMs in Lucknow and was awaiting RBI approval to go ahead with further expansion of the ATM network in Lucknow.
