'Dry' ATMs add to bandh woes of Imphal folks
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 10 2025: The ongoing internet shutdown and bandh (now called off) in Manipur have led to significant difficulties for residents, with reports emerging of ATMs running dry, leaving people without access to cash and long queues forming at electric recharge points.

The situation has resulted in considerable hardship for the public, struggling to access basic necessities amidst the disruptions.

Earlier in the day The Sangai Express conducted a survey across various locations and observed many people searching for ATMs with cash here and there amid the bandh called by Arambai Tenggol.

'Dry' ATMs add to bandh woes of Imphal folks

An individual who was standing in a queue at an ATM booth at Singjamei said that he had been on the hunt for ATMs having cash for three days to buy necessities for his family during the bandh.

Saying that every ATM he went to, however, was out of cash, with some booths also being shut, he added that he didn't have sufficient cash to purchase medicines, essentials, or pay his electricity bill.

Who will willingly lend money at a time like this, when everyone is struggling, he sighed, asserting that imposing bandhs, regardless of the reason, disproportionately affects the poor, making their lives even more difficult.

He added that the internet shutdown has aggravated their problems, depriving people of the option to buy things through UPI transactions like Google Pay.

He urged the relevant authorities to ensure cash availability at ATMs and restore internet service, now that the bandh has been withdrawn.

Meanwhile, long queues were seen at various electricity recharge points, as the internet shutdown has left people with no option but to recharge their electricity bills through offline payment methods.

Speaking to this reporter, an official at the prepaid counter of MSPDCL at Keishampat said that 400 to 500 people were coming to their counter to recharge electricity daily after the internet services were shut down.

He said that the prepaid counter operates from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm and remains unaffected by the bandh.

Similar counters for purchasing electricity recharges are also opened at Khuman Lampak and Lamphel, he added.