Banks turn to temples, liquor shops for small-value notes

Bengaluru, Dec 1: Bengalureans are a worried lot as they get ready for a new month starting Thursday. As the government fixed a ceiling on withdrawals after the demonetisation of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes on November 8, people fear banks and ATMs will see unprecedented rush from December 1 onwards.

“I have only Rs 300 left in my wallet. I might get my salary tomorrow. But how will I withdraw money? I am sure the queues will only be longer and the ATMs would run out of cash in no time as many would line up there,” Anuradha, a resident of Indiranagar, said.

Dhananjay Gowda is worried that he will have to stand in the long queue for the fourth time in the last one month. This time, he fears it can be longer as it is the beginning of the month. Now, he has to withdraw Rs 5,000 to pay the rent towards his flat that he shares with his friends.

“I am obliged to pay the rent on time. But, this would mean standing in the queue at ATMs thrice as I cannot withdraw Rs 5,000 at once. All these days, I have survived on just Rs 500 and have had to cut down on several expenses,” he added.

To meet the increasing demand for notes, especially the lower denomination ones, banks are now looking at temple trusts and liquor shops to come to their rescue. Usually, temple managements deposit money on special occasions.

The banks have now asked them to deposit cash at regular intervals. As liquor shops under Mysore Sales International Limited (MSIL) also see a good tendering of cash in lower denominations, the banks have put forth similar requests to the company as well.

M K Narasimha Murthy, general secretary, All Indian Bank Employees' Association, Karnataka, said that banks are now approaching temple managements and are persuading them to deposit cash regularly to help meet the increasing demand.

“At present, new notes are in circulation. From every liquor shop, at least Rs 2 lakh is being deposited to the MSIL accounts every day. This has helped ease the situation a bit,” he said.

Murthy said that even as the limit for transaction has been capped at Rs 24,000 per person at present, banks are in a situation to give only Rs 5,000. “Even if a person comes with a cheque for Rs 20,000, the entire money can't be given,” he said.