Day 4: Serpentine lines for ATMs persist

With many working Mumbaikars having waited for the weekend to head to bank branches or ATMs to either exchange their soon-to-be obsolete notes, or make deposits or withdrawals, there were even longer queues outside branches on Saturday. 

While most citizens said there was marginal improvement in the time taken by banks to process each transaction, others said they had to wait for at least two hours in serpentine lines.

“It took us two and a half hours outside the bank in the queue and another half hour inside the bank. My mother-in-law is a senior citizen,” said Sakshi Karachiwala who had gone to a bank branch in Ballard Pier reclamation bank branch with her mother-in-law to deposit money and exchange notes.

People travelled long distances desperate for cash. Imran Khatri who resides in Byculla had come all the way to Ballar Pier to exchange money. “In our area, there is no money in the ATM or in the  branches. I have come here but the line is too long,” said Khatri.

Khatri was not the only one to make several rounds. Some like Evangilina Prashant, a resident of Matunga who works in Railways had travelled to her branch close to her office in Churchgate. “I have tried earlier but the line was too long. Today I have come again,” she said, holding her toddler son. 

There were several people who were trying their luck for the second day. Akhilesh Kumar Sharma was one such person who was given a token on Friday.

“People would leave and come back. After coming back, they would see that a person with a token number after theirs was already done with his work. So they stopped the coupon system completely. They should have ensured that people who wait for a day do not wait the next day too,” said Sharma.