BELURAN: Beluran folks are calling on relevant quarters to look into the need of improving banking facilities in the district for easy financial access especially during these hard times.
The district has only one bank branch, making it crowded as people flock to withdraw their funds in times of emergency.
Yesterday, there were long queues as many waited for their turn to use the automated teller machines (ATMs).
It is learnt the bank only provides ATM services presently and people were lining up for hours.
A frustrated Zulkifly Mainang, 33, said he started lining up at 2.30pm and was only able to withdraw his money at 4.25pm.
“I had actually gone in the morning, but the line was very long. So, I decided to return in the afternoon.
“Such is the plight faced by folks in Beluran because there is only one bank branch with two ATMs. This (crowding) problem can be prevented if there are more bank branches and ATMs in town," he said.
Another resident Kipli Dundulang, 47, said the district had 32 villages with a population reaching up to thousands.
He said having only one bank branch was not sufficient to support the people's financial needs, stressing that the situation had worsened during the movement control order (MCO).
"Perhaps, many Beluran folks are still depending on ATMs to check on their Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH) and Bantuan Prihatin Nasional (BPN) status.
“If one of the ATMs is not functioning or out of money, definitely there will be a much longer queue. Hence, as Beluran residents, we hope the relevant quarters will look into the plight faced by the community," said the civil servant.