Vizag’s ATMs run dry as people face cash crunch in the city

The troubles of cash crunch are back to Visakhapatnam as most of the city’s ATMs have gone dry since the past few days. ATMs of several banks, in the areas of Akkayyapalem, Old Jail Road, Sirpuram, Seethammadhara, Seethammapeta, Dwarakanagar, NAD Junction, Dabagardens, and others are sporting the “No Cash” board. On the other hand, a handful of ATMs that are dispensing cash are being dressed with long queues of people waiting at the doorstep to draw the money, reminiscing about the post-demonetization days.

“It’s very frustrating. I had to try my luck at as many as seven to eight ATMs before availing cash at one ATM. The machines go dry all of a sudden and many a time, we are left in helpless situations with little cash in hand,” said Shyam, a visibly agitated resident of the city.

It has also been reported that many hostlers in the city are facing difficulties with the inability to draw cash from the dried up ATMs. “It’s the third week of the month and our kitties have started to run out of money. The fact that there’s no money in the majority of the ATMs here is adding to our woes. I hope the authorities sort this out as soon as possible so that the public is no longer put to inconvenience,” said Rajesh, a student staying at a hostel in Visakhapatnam.

Earlier, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu had requested the authorities to release Rs 5000 crore cash to ease out the cash woes in the state.