Ashraf, a social worker, who was visiting State Bank of India (SBI), Bunder Branch, said that he had gone to the branch to encash a cheque.
Although he had read in newspapers about a two-day strike, he had still gone there because he expected some minimal work would be going on.
“They may call for a two-day strike but usually what happens is no work is done on the first day. On the second day, the bank starts working. That is why I thought of coming here,” he said.
Arif, who works in HUL, was disappointed to see that the SBI, Bunder branch, was closed.
He said he had to send home money. It was the second time he was visiting the bank in this week and found it closed. (He had gone to the bank on Monday, which was Eid and a holiday for the bank).
He said he would have to go again a third time. He said the repeated visits to the bank had been a problem for him. “If I keep saying frequently that I want to take a few hours off from work to go to the bank, my employers will cut my salary,” he said.
Unaware
Abdul, a customer at SBI, Bunder branch, said that he had come to the bank to get his chequebook updated. He was unaware of the strike, he said.
He would have to make another trip to the bank all the way from B.C. Road, where he lived, he said.
Muneer, a city businessman who sells vegetables from Chikamagalur in Central Market, said he came to ICICI Bank, P.M. Rao Road, because one of the parties he bought vegetables from had an account there.
He said he could have sent the money to the party through SBI but since that was closed, he went to the ICICI Bank branch.
Guruprasad, who works in Saffron Hotel, was walking towards Shamrao Vithal Bank, where he was a customer.
He was aware that a bank strike was on and knew that the bank he went to was not participating in the strike.
