Agra’s ATMs run dry for three days over Diwali as bank holidays pile up
Traders blame bank holidays and the cash-loading agencies; online payment servers also failed during the festival, a traders’ leader said.
Most ATMs in Agra had no cash for three days over Diwali, leaving people without money during the festival, Amar Ujala reported on 10 November.
The report blamed bank holidays and the agencies that load cash into ATMs. Agra has more than 20 government and private banks, with over 400 branches, more than 300 ATMs and more than 20 lakh account holders, the paper said.
Online payments failed too
T. N. Agarwal, president of the city’s Vyapar Mandal, the traders’ association, said servers for online payments ran into trouble during the festival. That left cash as the main way to pay, and the ATMs failed people when they needed them, he said.
No bank or Reserve Bank of India official was quoted in the report.
Why it matters
Shops in Agra, like elsewhere in India, do much of their business in the festival weeks. Banks and the agencies they hire are expected to load ATMs with extra cash before long holidays.
What’s next
The report did not say when the ATMs would be refilled.
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