A severe cash shortage across several banks in Sirsa and Fatehabad districts has triggered widespread inconvenience for farmers, pensioners and daily consumers, forcing them into long queues with no guarantee of withdrawal.
Despite having funds in their accounts, customers are facing tight cash crunch. In Sirsa, crowds begin forming outside bank branches early in the morning. Many residents alleged that after waiting for hours, they were either turned away or handed limited amounts due to currency shortage.
The crisis has severely disrupted rural economies during the crucial wheat procurement season. Farmers noted that while the government had credited wheat sale payments into their accounts, the cash remained inaccessible, stalling daily transactions and agricultural payments.
“Our wheat payments were credited days ago, but we are making repeated visits to the bank just to withdraw our own money,” said Jagdish Saharan, a local farmer, echoing the frustrations of fellow farmers Sunil Kumar and Satpal.
Pensioners, including beneficiaries of old-age, widow and disability schemes, are facing similar hardships. Elderly citizens were seen waiting for hours outside banks and Customer Service Centres (CSCs), only to be told that the cash had run out.
Bank officials attributed the crisis to a limited supply of currency from the central chests. While they assured that normalcy would return once fresh cash arrived, their appeals to shift to digital payments have found little traction in the rural areas, where many remain uncomfortable with online banking.
A similar crisis has gripped Fatehabad district, particularly Bhuna town, where banks — including Punjab National Bank (PNB) — have faced cash shortages for the past fortnight.
In Bhuna, desperate farmers are reportedly carrying cheques from one bank to another in search of cash. To manage the chaos, bank employees have resorted to logging cheque numbers and customer contact details to call them back when cash becomes available. Customers seeking withdrawals of Rs 1 lakh or more are facing the steepest hurdles.
Rohit Kumar, manager of the Bhuna PNB, acknowledged the shortage, stating that disbursements were being managed gradually based on available cash flow.
With financial stress mounting, farmers have demanded immediate intervention from the district administration and the banking authorities to restore adequate cash flow during the peak harvest season.