People throughout the district have been complaining that they have not been able to use the Tamil version in any of the State Bank of India’s ATMs, for the last one month.
While the English and Hindi versions could be used, the Tamil version, which is used by most of the people here, is not working. The ATMs of private banks are providing ATM services in Tamil, while the nationalised SBI remains unconcerned, complain customers.
Thirumaran, a retired elementary school headmaster and an SBI account holder said, “ For the last one month, customers are unable to access banking services in Tamil at SBI ATMs in the district. So, I prefer the nearby ICICI ATM in which Tamil can be used.”
Language played a hurdle here, and most customers face difficulty in comprehending the English version, and are forced to seek the help of others to transact business at the ATM.
Especially, villagers working in the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme find it very difficult to operate without Tamil.
As per government rule, their wages are credited in banks and most of them have an SBI account only for the purpose of drawing their MGREGS wages. They want the authorities to look into the issue and restore the Tamil version quickly.
According to bank officials, more than 50 lakh saving accounts of SBI is in Tamil Nadu. About 10 lakh account holders are MGREGS or WSHG members. Most of them are not familiar with the English language.
Reacting to the situation, A Sathish Kumar, General Manager, SBI, Pudukkottai district, said he was unaware of the problem so far. He promised to rectify the issue soon, and regretted the inconvenience caused to the customers. Naam Tamilar Party threatened to stage an agitation seeking restoration of Tamil in SBI ATMs.
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