Dehradun Police have allowed two banks to reopen their ATMs after they appointed security guards there. Earlier, they had locked down three ATMs in the city after finding that no security guards had been posted there by the respective banks.
Patelnagar police had earlier conducted a checking drive at the ATMs on February 19 to see whether the instruction given by police to ensure fool-proof security of the ATMs has been acted upon or not. Three of the ATMs there had been found operating sans security guard and CCTV cameras and subsequently, they had been closed down. The ATMs thus closed were those of PNB located at lalpul, Axis Bank at ISBT and Indicash at Kargi.
The bank officials of Axis Bank and Indicash met police officers on Thursday and requested that the ATMs be reopened as they have appointed security guards at the machines. These bank officers also assured the police that they would ensure fool- proof security at their ATMs apart from reviewing security arrangements there from time to time. However, PNB officials are yet to contact the police officers for reopening of their ATMs at lalpul, said a Patelnagar-based police officer.
Meanwhile, when this correspondent has visited various ATMs at Karanpur, Raipur, Dharampur and some other places on Thursday he found that most of them had no security guard. At some places, elderly persons were found guarding the ATMs while at a few, students were found working as security guards. The students were found absorbed in preparing for competitive examinations.
Earlier on February 3, police had served a notice to the banks regarding installation of CCTV cameras and appointment of security guards at all the ATMs operating in the city. Some of the banks had acted on the instruction and appointed security guards while many of them had failed to act that promoted the police crackdown later.
Circle officer Chandra Mohan Singh Negi said that a large number of ATMs of various banks in the state capital are still operating sans security guards and CCTV cameras. Police station officers have been directed to conduct drives at their jurisdictional limit followed by necessary actions, he added.
Dehradun police had served notices to at least 42 of them located in Patelnagar area on February 3. The banks on whom notices had been served by the Patelnagar police include Bank of Baroda, Badowala; Uttarakhand Gramin Bank, Shimla Bypass; PNB Bank, Mehuwala; Axis Bank, Shimla Bypass; Punjab and Sindh Bank, Majra; SBI, Shimla Bypass; SBI Turner Road; SBI, Mohbbewala; Union Bank, Chandra Bani; UCO Bank, Banjarawala; Axis Bank, Sahranpur and Bank of Baroda, Transport Nagar.