Chennai: It was an unusual Sunday on First Avenue in Indira Nagar, Adyar, which is largely deserted during weekends. Customers thronged the road, which houses seven branches of public- and private-sector banks, including a small finance bank, within a 400m radius.The footfall was higher at public-sector banks in anticipation of banking operations being disrupted in view of the three-day strike called by bank unions between Sept 28 and 30, which has been deferred after meeting between banks’ association and unions.Banks were open on Sunday to offset the impact of the strike, as operations in public-sector banks and some old-generation private-sector banks were likely to be affected between Monday and Wednesday. However, branches of new-generation private-sector lenders were to remain open.There was a stark difference in footfall, with several bank branches in north Chennai being more crowded compared with those in the southern and central parts of the city.Senior citizens outnumbered other customers, while several visited for cash deposits and withdrawals, cheque clearances, and account-related queries. S Sundararajan, 77, who visited a Bank of India branch in Adyar for an account-related query, recalled how banks used to operate on Sundays for the convenience of residents. “I am a former bank employee and was part of the Sunday operations, though it was several years ago. Such branches used to function additionally on Sundays, mostly in residential locations,” he said.In north Chennai, the branches were thronged by a sizeable number of senior citizens to withdraw their pensions. Mohamed Asik, a visitor to an SBI branch in Washermenpet, said another reason for this was the convenience of Sunday operations. “Many have free time only on Sundays, and they used this opportunity to visit their respective branches,” he added.Banks were prepared for higher transaction volumes on Sunday. Indian Bank anticipated Sunday’s transaction volumes could be higher and prepared for this in advance. “Our branches and offices have been provided with adequate manpower, and our ATMs were replenished beforehand to ensure sufficient cash availability. As our currency chests are operational, the cash requirements of linked branches and ATMs are being taken care of,” a senior Indian Bank official said.
