Bank Queue Chaos: Two Elderly Men Die in Kolkata; One in Gujarat

The long wait takes a toll on the elderly.

The cash demand had rapidly risen especially since salaries have been credited in accounts at the beginning of the month. (Photo: AP)

The government has struggled to keep pace with the cash demand and has also faced the wrath of those battling queues for long hours outside banks and ATMs.

The situation has worsened since 1 December with November salaries being credited into bank accounts.

The wait proved deadly for two elderly persons who were standing in a bank queue in West Bengal on Friday. Rabin Mukherjee, 72, and Viswadeb Naskar, 80, collapsed and died in North 24 Parganas district.

In Gujarat’s Aravalli district, a 62-year-old pensioner died after suffering a heart attack on Friday afternoon when he was standing in a queue outside the branch of a nationalised bank in Tenpur village, local police said.

The deceased, who retired as a peon a few years back, was a resident of nearby Chandrej village. He came to Tenpur to withdraw money from the bank.

No Respite for Salaried Individuals, Pensioners

Banks ran out of cash within hours of opening. (Photo: AP)

In Delhi and adjoining satellite towns, there were no queues outside many ATMs with the machines running dry and banks disbursing limited money. Banks ran out of cash within hours of opening in most of the areas of the national capital.

Dozens of deaths, including cardiac arrests, suicides and hospital casualties, in the past over three weeks have been linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise move to ban high denomination currency notes in a bid to curb black money and corruption.

There was still no respite for the salaried people and pensioners across the country even as they have got their remuneration but were unable to lay hands on their own money.

(With inputs from PTI and IANS)