The mobile cash-vans initiative, that was launched to help Gurugram residents with mobile ATMs, proves ineffective as the residents are unaware about it.
Rhythima Agrawal | April 13, 2020
It is 10 am and the doorbell rings. Mrs. Rama Bhargava opens the door and finds the ‘phoolwala’ standing outside. He has come for his payment, which he requests to be made online. Since that is not an option, Mrs. Bhargava’s husband transfers the money through NEFT. He and his wife are totally unaware of the mobile cash-vans that have been launched just a few days ago.
Like the Bhargavas, other residents of Gurugram are using NEFT and other UPI apps like Google pay, Paytm, and PhonePe to transfer money to their domestic help’s account. Uday Shankar Bhargava, a retired General Manager from Punjab National Bank said, “I am not aware of any mobile cash-vans in my area. I transfer money through NEFT because it is quick and convenient.”
Another resident also denied any knowledge of these vans. “I am not aware of any mobile vans in my area,” said Madhu Phatliyal, Associate Director at Capgemini. “I use online apps like Paytm and Google Pay for my transactions.”
On April9, the Deputy Commissioner had introduced mobile cash vans (ATM) in some of the newly developed areas at Dwarka Expressway along Sector 37C and D. The vans allow withdrawals of up to Rs. 20,000 a day. Any resident in these areas can call the helpline number 0124-2381271 and request for a van.
Vineet Bhargava, Associate Vice-president at EXL services said that he was aware of the initiative but had not seen any in his locality. “I came to know about it through the news but haven’t seen a single van in my society”. He, too, relies on online apps for making payments, he said.
Prahalad Roy Godora, District Chief Manager of Canara Bank, revealed that Gurugram does not have a van of its own. They have to be brought in from Delhi, after getting the required permission. The van is only sent in those areas where there are no ATMs within a 3.5 km radius.
He said, “We need to take into account security and connectivity issues as well. The Resident Welfare Association (RWA) is informed prior to the van’s arrival.” He further added that they have received 10-12 requests on Twitter about mobile cash van.
Akshay Chakraborty from UCO Bank stressed the need to expand the scope of the initiative. “Currently, too many are depending on these vans. More vans should be procured so that more areas can be covered,” he said.
Image Credit: Thehindu.com
