Hyderabad: Even a year after the police issuing notices to banks to appoint guards and install CCTV cameras at ATMs most ATMs are still unguarded.

A woman was brutally attacked by a robber at an ATM booth in Bengaluru last year. After this an advisory was issued to all banks to appoint guards and to install CCTV cameras at ATM booths. But even after several notices, banks are still not serious and are saying that it is not viable to appoint guards.

“Appointing guards would be extra expenditure,” said a PSU bank official. He added that it is not viable to deploy guards at all ATMs but banks are installing CCTV cameras. Private banks said their managements wants to be silent on the issue.

In November 2013 all banks in Hyderabad and Cyberabad were called by the police commissioners and told to appoint guards.

“We issued a notification under Section 133 where it was made mandatory for banks to appoint guards at ATMs,” said Cyberabad police commissioner C.V. Anand.

He said the police is now planning to take action against banks violating rules. Recent incidents like the Federal Bank robbery at Malkajgiri on December 17 and the Deccan Grameena Bank robbery at Ghatkesar happened due to violations of security norms

A comprehensive surveillance system and a unified command centre monitoring the videos 24/7 is the need of the hour, police said.