Clients are still facing liquidity shortage in automated teller machines and branches of the scheduled banks as the police could not provide the banks with enough protection in transporting their cash-bearing vehicles, said officials of the commercial banks.
The clients of many banks plunged in a severe crisis to withdraw cash from the ATM booths and branches in the last few days due to the ongoing road-rail-waterway blockade called by the opposition alliance.
Against the backdrop, Bangladesh Bank on Tuesday requested the Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner to provide protection for the banks and security companies’ vehicles which deal with cash transfer service.
A BB official told New Age that the scheduled banks on Wednesday withdrew Tk 486 crore from their respective accounts with the central bank to give cash input in their ATM booths and the branches.
But the withdrawal figure on Wednesday was lower than that of a normal working day, as the banks usually withdraw between Tk 700 crore to Tk 1,000 crore a day, they said.
The transaction between the central bank and the scheduled banks has recently declined due to the recent spates of political violence ahead of national elections, they said.
According to the BB data, the banks transacted Tk 211 crore with the central bank on Sunday, Tk 108 crore on Monday and Tk 202 crore on Tuesday.
BRAC Bank managing director Syed Mahbubur Rahman told New Age on Wednesday that the situation had not changed much on Wednesday despite the central bank attempt as the police force were now busy in tackling the blockade programme.
‘The police force has not available time right now to give protection for the cash-bearing vehicles. Besides, the insurance companies are demanding high premium for coverage of the security companies transporting cash’, he said.
Moreover, most of the security companies are now showing reluctance in transporting cash during the blockade, he said.
‘Under the circumstances, our ATM booths and branches are failing to provide our clients with uninterrupted service’, he said.
Some branches of BRAC Bank are enjoying huge liquidity while other branches suffering cash shortage due to lack of cash transport service in the last few days, he said.
Most of the banks including BRAC Bank conduct the cash-in service with the ATM booths through the outsourcing companies.
The scheduled banks set up 5,232 ATM booths across the country and issued 72,32,554 debit cards and 8,53,280 credit cards as of August 31, 2013.
The card holders frequently failed to withdraw cash from the ATM booths and the clients could not withdraw money from the branches during the last few days due to the ongoing blockade.
The BNP-led 18-party alliance on Friday called a 72-hour blockade across the country from 6:00am on Saturday and they later extended the agitation programme till Thursday evening.
Pubali Bank managing director Helal Ahmed Chowdhury said the situation had changed to some extent on Wednesday than the previous day as his bank could avail police protection in transporting the cash.
He said, ‘My bank received police protection in transporting cash to ATM booths and branches located in the urban area but the facility is not sufficient for the rural areas’.
Eastern Bank managing director Ali Reza Iftekhar said the banking sector was now facing crisis including cash service due to the ongoing blockade.
He, however, said that his bank was yet to face any severe problem in transporting the cash for ATM booths and branches.
-With New Age input
