Representational image | Photo: PTI
Kottayam: The Reserve Bank of India has issued fresh guidelines for the maintenance of bank lockers in order to ensure more safety for valuables. The customers can avail benefits of the new guidelines by renewing the contract before December 31.
Assuring compensation
The new contract will help the customer to obtain compensation worth 100 times the bank locker charges if the valuables were robbed, lost due to lapses from the bank’s side, destroyed in a fire or a building collapse. Earlier, the bank was not obliged to dispense any compensation.
Many of the customers are unaware of the notification released by RBI revamping the bank locker contracts. Hence, several customers have not entered into the new contract with the respective banks.
SMS, e-mail alert
The banks have to send a message via e-mail and SMS to the beneficiary’s mobile number with details such as the date and time on which the bank locker was opened.
Transparency
The number of vacant lockers has to be recorded in the bank’s computer system. If no vacant locker is available, a waiting number will have to be issued to the next customer. Later, the lockers have to be allotted according to this number.
Instead of allotting the bank lockers to the customers who demand them, certain banks reserve these lockers for other customers as extra services. The new directive will curtail this and ensure lockers for needy customers.
CCTV
RBI has directed banks to install CCTV inside the locker rooms. If any complaint of unauthorised entry surfaces, the CCTV footages have to be preserved intact for facilitating a police probe.
Safety of keys
The code of the bank has to be imprinted on the keys of the lockers. Cautionary measures have to be taken against the hackers if the lockers could be opened using any electronic system.
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