Bank queues spill out onto footpaths as cash transactions shoot up
Most customers had come to withdraw cash as they had recently received their monthly salaries
Banks have been facing a huge demand for cash transactions in the last three days, after shops and markets reopened on May 10.
On each of those days, bank branches in the most important areas of the capital had long queues of customers that spilled outdoors onto the footpaths.
Bankers said that most customers had come to withdraw cash upon recently receiving their monthly salaries. Some customers came to withdraw deposits or profits of savings certificates to meet their Eid expenses, while others came to pay credit card bills.
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For over a month and a half, banks have been providing limited services during the Covid-19 shutdown which started on March 26.
Aminul Islam, an employee of a dairy firm and also a customer of Islami Bank Baridhara branch, said, "I came regularly to this branch for transactions during the holidays. Before the shops reopened, there wasn't this much of a crowd."
He said he had been waiting for around 45 minutes to deposit some cash. But there wereabout10 customers ahead of him in the queue.
Bankers claim that not all customers are coming to banks for emergency transactions.
"We had a customer come in to withdraw only Tk500 by cheque," Syed Mahbubur Rahman, managing director of Mutual Bank, told The Business Standard.
From Sunday, banks began providing services from 10am to 2:30pm, and will keep doing so during Ramadan.
On Monday, more than 200 customers went to the Sonali Bank's Tejgaon industrial area branch to withdraw their social safety net allowances. The branch ultimately had to shut down to tackle the rush.
Mohammed Ataur Rahman Prodhan, managing director of Sonali Bank, said, "Customers are not trying to understand that they can still withdraw money two days from now. They all are gathering at the same time at our branches. We have asked law enforcement agencies for help."
The Gulshan branches of Dutch-Bangla Bank, Prime Bank, and the South Bangla Agriculture and Commerce (SBAC) Bank also had big crowds on Tuesday.
Dutch-Bangla Bank Managing Director AKM Shirin said, "Almost 90 percent of our branches are open now. Both cash deposits and withdrawals are conducted regularly. We have not felt any pressure so far."
Syed Mahbubur Rahman, also former chairman of the Association of Bankers, Bangladesh, said, banks may fully open from next week."However, customers have to change their behaviour first. Otherwise, it will be difficult to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus."
Customers must learn to maintain social distance and the banks have to rearrange the layouts at the workplace to ensuring safety for employees.
Tariqul Islam Chowdhury, managing director of SBAC Bank, said the rush of customers has gradually increased, but his bank has properly served all customers.
