Nov 12 (Agencies): Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said it would take 2-3 weeks to recalibrate ATMs machines to enable them to dispense new notes.

Following demonetisation of currency ATMs across the country are witnessing long queues as people are flocking to them to draw currency.

ATMs are struggling to cope with the demand as they dispensing only Rs 50 and Rs 100 notes and would need to be recalibrated to distribute the new Rs 2,000 notes.

Addressing a press conference on Saturday afternoon, Jaitley said, the government was constantly monitoring the cash crunch.

He urged people to stagger depositing defunct currency and not crowd banks.
“I appeal to people to visit the banks after a few days to avoid standing in queues as the scheme is valid till 30th December 2016,” he said.

"It's a big regret that people are being inconvenienced. There are long queues, but orderly queues. There is no chaos,” he added.

He also refuted a claim made by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal that in the July-to-September quarter large amounts of money had been deposited with the banks, indicating that some people knew about the impending demonetisation.

Jaitley said there had been a marginal hike in bank deposits in September 2016 because of the release of Pay Commission's salary arrears.