SRINAGAR: Over a month after flood creased havoc in Kashmir, majority of the ATMs in the valley, including summer capital Srinagar, are still out of service, creating problems for the customers ahead of Eid al-Adha.
Meanwhile, ATMs on the city outskirts, which were not affected by the floods, are out of cash as people from various parts of the Valley are thronging these machines to withdraw cash.
“I have been looking for an ATM from where I can withdraw cash from last three hours as all the ATMs I have been so far are either not working or have no cash. I want to withdraw cash so that I can purchase sacrificial animal for Eid,” Ghulam Mohammad, a resident of Raj Bagh, the worst flood-hit area in Kashmir, said.
Modern day banking is wholly dependent on the internet connectivity. The biggest post-flood challenge to restore banking operations and ATM facilities in Kashmir is the connectivity, a Jammu and Kashmir Bank employee said.
He further said services provided by major telecom players like BSNL and Airtel collapsed soon after flood created havoc in the valley, which led to ATMs going out of service.
Till the time the connectivity is improved, it is very difficult to restore the normal functioning of banks and ATMs, he added.
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