With most ATM machines in the Nilgiris running out of cash and tourists not having access to their own money, some shops in Ooty have begun taking a 10 per cent commission and distributing cash to tourists after accepting debit card transactions.
A taxi driver from Ooty, speaking to The Hindu , said that many tourists who run out of cash were going to the shops. When The Hindu visited one of the shops, located near the Municipal Market, the owner of the store said that he was performing a “service” for tourists who were running out of cash in Ooty.
The owner checked for identity proofs and verified the address on it to make sure that the persons withdrawing the cash were not from Ooty.
He explained that he was deducting 10 per cent from the total amount disbursed as ‘taxes’.
After swiping the debit card for a prospective transaction, the store owner gives the money to the tourists after making the deduction.
One tourist from Chennai, S Krishnan, said that he did not have enough money to pay for his stay at his hotel room, and that the hotel did not accept debit cards.
“A taxi driver who drove me to some locations in Ooty told me about this shop and took me there,” said Mr. Krishnan, who lamented the fact that very few ATMs were open.
“As the banks are all closed, and the ATMs out of cash, we have no other option but to go to these shops,” he said.
S. Manoharan, president of the Coonoor Consumer Protection Association, said that the fact that the ATMs were not functional across the Nilgiris was pushing tourists and residents into dealing with the parallel economy. He said that there should have been checks to ensure that businesses do not resort to such practices, and that the ATM machines in the Nilgiris should have sufficient amounts of cash as well.
A top SBI official said that the public could approach the Reserve Bank of India in case they came upon such businesses and also said that he would look into the matter as one of the businesses involved in the racket had an account with the State Bank of India.
