Namma Metro passengers will soon be able to withdraw cash and carry out bank transactions within metro station at 17 locations. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) has selected five banks to set up Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).
The ATMs are expected to be operational by December this year, officials said.
Earlier this year, BMRCL had advertised locations in 22 stations on the Purple and Green lines for fixing ATM machines. In almost all stations, there is space for two ATM machines. In Mysuru Road station, space for three ATM machines was advertised and in M.G. Road, the number was four.
Around 25 banks applied, of which five were selected, officials said. The largest number of ATM slots has been given to Kotak Mahindra Bank, according to sources. “There was a lot of interest but because the closing date of the tender was during the holidays this month, a few banks could not complete their applications. As a result, around five stations did not got bids. But this will be set right in the coming days with another tender,” a senior BMRCL official said. For the corporation, this will mean an annual revenue of around Rs. 1.5 crore.
In the coming days, there will be another tender for stations that were not part of the first tender. This will fetch a further Rs. 1 crore in revenue to Namma Metro, the official added.
Regular metro users will benefit from having the option of withdrawing cash within the stations itself.
“There are no ATM machines near my station and those within walking distance are not safe in the evenings. Having an ATM machine within the station will give extra security besides the ease of being able to withdraw money at the point of travel,” said Akshata Bhatia, who uses the metro between Deepanjalinagar and Indiranagar every day.
Demand for retail space
BMRCL will also look at inviting applications from architects, small clinics as well as e-commerce companies to set up shops in spaces available for rent at Hosahalli station on the Purple Line.
This is apart from the 32 spaces that were advertised at M.G. Road, Hosahalli and Vijayanagar in September this year.
