Srinagar, Aug 4: Customers have raised serious concerns over an acute shortage of staff in a majority of Jammu and Kashmir Bank branches, alleging that the manpower crunch is severely affecting customer service and leading to long delays in routine banking operations.

The issue has come into sharp focus at the Mehjoor Nagar branch in Srinagar, where customers said the limited number of employees has resulted in long queues, delayed transactions and increasing inconvenience for account holders. However, customers maintained that the problem is not confined to a single branch and that most J&K Bank branches across the Union Territory are facing a similar shortage of manpower.
Speaking to the news agency KNT, a customer, Gowhar Hussain, said the shortage of employees has considerably slowed down the functioning of the branch.
"We are suffering because of the shortage of staff. The limited number of employees is delaying the work process, and customers have to spend a lot of time waiting to complete even routine banking transactions," he said.
Customers said the increasing workload on the available staff is affecting the quality and speed of services, particularly during peak banking hours, when people are forced to wait for extended periods for cash transactions, passbook updates, account-related services and other banking formalities.
They urged the management of J&K Bank to urgently address the manpower shortage by deploying additional staff to branches facing heavy public footfall and filling vacant positions to ensure efficient and timely banking services.
Several customers expressed hope that the bank's management would take immediate corrective measures to improve customer service and reduce the burden on the exiting workforce.