AGARTALA, Oct 18 (TIWN): Banks will be closed for seven days starting October 20 to October 26.Private and nationalised banks will be closed because of Durga Puja. ATMs will stay open throughout this period but will be replenished only on Wednesday.

October 19  — Sashthi — will be the last day before the festive shutdown account-holders will be able to avail themselves of banking operations like cheque clearance, issue of demand drafts, access to lockers and update of passbooks.

If someone deposits a cheque in a branch on September 30, chances are it would not be cleared till October 27..

 “Bank branches in Tripura l would remain closed on seven days because of Durga Puja in compliance with the Negotiable Instruments Act. Lakshmi Puja holiday  falls  too, under the act. With a weekend falling in between, the banking holiday has been further prolonged,” said a senior official of the State Bank of India.

“Internet banking will remain active during the period and account-holders would be able to use their credit and debit cards for payment at merchant terminals placed at shops, malls and restaurants. In addition, we will load adequate cash in the ATMs on October 19,” the official said.

Bankers, however, admitted that there is a possibility of the ATMs running out of cash. “Banks usually hire an agency to load cash into the ATMs that are not close to the branches. We have instructed our agency to fill the ATMs recording high transaction with more-than-usual cash. We hope that will be enough for the festive period,” said an official of another public sector bank.