DHAKA, Aug 19, 2018 (BSS) – With the general banking hours ending
tomorrow ahead of the 5-day Eid vacation, commercial banks are witnessing
huge rush of clients withdrawing cash to meet Eid-ul-Azha expenses.
Over the last two working days, the banks in the metropolis have been
packed with clients, especially for withdrawal of remittances.
“Expatriates generally send a large amount of money to their relatives
before Eid-ul-Azha for purchasing animals to sacrifice in the name of
Almighty Allah,” Deputy Managing Director of the Islami Bank Bangladesh
Limited (IBBL) Abu Reza M Yeahia told BSS here today.
“On August 16, we received around US$38 million remittance from
different countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the
United Arab Emirates (UAE). The amount was about $15 million on August 7,” he
added.
While visiting different bank branches in the capital today, it was found
that officials-employees were facing difficulty in handling large number of
clients, who were waiting in queues before the cash counters for withdrawal
of cash. People were seen standing in queues for more than half an hour for
cash withdrawal.
Talking to BSS, Head of the Southeast Bank Limited (SEBL) Dhanmondi
Branch Abdul Quaium Chowdhury said his branch was packed with customers who
were there to complete necessary transactions ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.
“There were huge transactions, especially by the individuals, in the
branch over the last two days. A large number of clients queued in the cash
transaction section today and over Taka 7 crore, major part of the amount is
remittance, was transacted,” he added.
Quaium, also Executive Vice President of the SEBL, said the management of
the SEBL took all sorts of measures, including reserving sufficient money, to
tackle the crowd before Eid and so the bank did not face any difficulties.
He said expatriate Bangladeshis are sending huge remittance ahead of Eid
as the bank today received about Taka 3.20 lakh from different countries
especially from the Middle East and Malaysia.
“I have been standing in the queue for about half an hour to complete my
transaction,” said Shahjahan Kabir Heron, whose brother sent him money from
France. He was withdrawing the money from the Local Office Branch of the IBBL
at Motijheel.
Similar rush was also seen in almost all the bank branches at Motijheel
and Dilkusha areas today.