Out of cash: Citizens line-up to withdraw money from ATMs

SBP inspectors to monitor ATMs of commercial banks from July 1 to July 10

LAHORE: Long queues were witnessed in front of ATMs (automated teller machines) of different commercial banks on Sunday after most of them ran out of cash. People were seen complaining of non-availability of cash.

Sheikh Jamil, a local trader who was waiting for his turn to use an ATM in Township, said it was the third ATM where he had come to try his luck. “Most ATMs have run out of cash. Every year, people have to face this inconvenience at Eid, but banks do nothing to fix the problem,” he said.



Another customer said each time he tried to withdraw money from the ATM, it flashed the message: issuer link down. “Banking is a billion rupee service industry. It is disappointing to see how they treat their customers. They must be penalised for this negligence to put sufficient amounts of cash in ATMs during Eid holidays,” he said.

Zahid Khan, a Model Town resident, complained that most commercial banks in public sector had closed their doors around 1pm on Saturday. “Banks in the private sector remained open till 2pm. The central bank had directed them to observe extended business hours,” he said.

He said that on Saturday, he went to cash a cheque from a state-owned bank. “However, when I reached there, the guards told me that there was no use entering the bank as their computer system was down. The bank cannot disburse money without it,” Khan said.

Talking to The Express Tribune, the manager of a private commercial bank said that the whole banking system was running on its peak capacity on Saturday. “Our bank has devised special operating procedures (SOPs) for monitoring our ATM network. Special duty officers have been deputed to ensure no ATM runs out of cash. Despite these measures, sometime bank customers have to face problems,” he said.



A State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) spokesman said the SBP had already directed all commercial banks to take necessary measures to facilitate the general public in order to ensure uninterrupted availability of ATM services on the occasion of Eidul Fitr.

“SBP inspectors and verification teams of SBP’s Banking Service Corporation (BSC) field offices will monitor ATMs of commercial banks from July 1 to July 10 to verify their operational status,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4^th, 2016.