Officials from nationalised banks organised a protest in Sector 31 here on Wednesday against the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for short supply of cash and frequent change in guidelines.
The officials, under the aegis of the All-India Bank Officers Confederation, raised slogans against the RBI for not supplying enough cash to bank branches, besides causing inconvenience to them and customers. Among the protesters were officials from Syndicate Bank, Union Bank of India, Corporation Bank, Bank of Baroda, and State Bank of India.
Scuffles become routine
Satish Kumar Vats, joint secretary of the Syndicate Bank Officers’ Association, who led the protest outside the office of the Lead District Manager, said that short supply of cash was causing scuffles between the bank officials and customers. “There have been instances of customers vandalising bank branches in Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country. Even in Haryana, there have been occasions when customers indulged in violence and protests. The RBI claims that there is enough cash, but the banks are not getting it. The customers blame us,” said Mr. Vats, demanding that the RBI address the situation at the earliest.
Shailender Kumar, manager of the Corporation Bank in Sector 31, said that his branch had not received cash for the past four days.
Mr. Kumar said that the customers suspected bank officials of indulging in malpractices. “While the daily demand in my branch is Rs.20-25 lakh, we get only Rs.3-4 lakh per day. Customers demand cash as per the limits fixed by the RBI, but we do not have money,” said Mr. Kumar.
Another protester, Vijay Kumar Aggarwal, said that the RBI was changing guidelines everyday, causing inconvenience to the bank officials and customers. “We are here to serve the public and are working overtime to keep our commitments. But we are helpless if we do not get enough cash. The new guideline on deposits has added to the chaos. Now, the bank officials will have to act as policemen too,” said Mr. Aggarwal.
Lead District Manager R.C. Nayak told The Hindu that banks in Gurugram received only Rs.36 crore and Rs.33 crore on Monday and Tuesday this week against the daily demand of Rs. 2,000 crore.
