The consistent flow of currency has helped ease the post-demonetisation crisis to some extent in Chittoor district.
Bank sources have confirmed the arrival of Rs. 408 crore to the 19 currency chests in the district by Wednesday. Around Rs.100 crore is disbursed every day to the 593 branches of 40 banks. The withdrawal figure touched Rs. 500 crore mark on Monday evening, while the deposits are believed to be 1.5 times higher. Hundred and fifty of the 600 bank branches in the district are located in Tirupati city alone, which mitigated the woes of the citizens and pilgrims alike. The three post offices and 69 sub-post offices have facilitated exchange of Rs. 10 crore, withdrawal of Rs. 4 crore and deposits of Rs. 50 crore till Sunday evening.
The public utilities also raked in the moolah. While the APSPDCL has received Rs. 17 crore towards power bills on Sunday, the property tax netted by the Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT) stood at Rs. 4.5 crore by Monday. APSRTC has earned Rs. 15 lakh extra per day. Chittoor district netted Rs. 1.5 crore compared to Rs. 1.35 crore during the corresponding period last year, according to Regional Manager V. Nagasivudu. The number of trips also rose from 36,000 to 41,200.
Mobile ATMs
The State Bank of India (SBI) is trying to meet the demand-supply gap by deploying a Mobile ATM. The bank had sanctioned two such vehicles for the State, one for Hyderabad and the other for Tirupati, now the lone facility for Andhra Pradesh.
The vehicle was meant to be strategically parked at places far away from ATMs, yet witnessing crowd such as temple rituals, folk festivals and sports events. Finding the present commotion as the right occasion, the bank pressed the vehicle into service on Monday. It was kept near the zonal office and SVU area on Monday and moved to Ruia Hospital on Tuesday.
The vehicle is shifted to a location based on demand situation at the various city branches. Cash level is monitored online and when the threshold level is reached, the Cash Administration Cell is alerted, which replenishes the same with Rs. 6 lakh. Patients at Ruia rushed to utilise the ATM, but some technical glitches gave them tense moments for a couple of hours on Tuesday.
