Long spiralling queues of people were witnessed on Monday at several banks and ATMs to withdraw cash for the sixth consecutive day. However, not just outside, people were sweating it out inside as well - the bankers.

While people queued up to take out or exchange money, the bankers went about their work silently.

Though Monday was a public holiday for government employees on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti, banks in Bihar functioned as normal with employees working full day to meet people's requirements.

The banks themselves decided to stay open on a public holiday.

Officials and technicians from the country's largest bank, the State Bank of India (SBI), had a Herculean task on Monday as they started recalibrating ATMs to dispense new Rs 2,000 currency notes.

Sources said that till the filling of this report, the SBI team was successful in recalibrating only four ATMs.

"Extra precaution is required for recalibrating ATMs with Rs 2,000 denomination currency notes as slight negligence can lead to a big mess," a senior bank official said on condition of anonymity.

Each ATM machine has only 3-4 "cassettes" that hold cash. Each cassette has to be configured to dispense a particular value.

Earlier, all ATMs were configured for Rs 100, Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination notes. After the government scrapped Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, the banks are supposed to ensure their ATMs dispense new currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 along with the old Rs 100 currency notes.

"In Patna urban areas, SBI has 106 ATMs. On a priority basis, the SBI will first recalibrate ATMs with Rs 2,000 denomination notes in the urban areas," said the official.

The official said the delay in recalibrating ATMs is mainly due to the changed size of the new Rs 2,000 notes.

Recalibration requires technicians who have to open up each machine and make the required changes.

"Once the majority of SBI ATMs start dispensing Rs 2,000 denomination currency notes, we hope the rush will come down at banks and ATMs," said Sudhiranjan Pradhan, deputy general manager, (anytime channels department) SBI Patna circle.

Pradhan said to meet the emergency situation, the banks have cancelled all leaves, training sessions of bankers have been suspended and even officials from other sections (loan, recovery and other cells) have been pressed into service (depositing/withdrawing cash).

Echoing the views of Pradhan, Anand Bikram, assistant general manager (SBI ATM operations), said: "Ever since the demonetisation policy was announced, bankers have been having a tough time which is challenging for us. On normal days, we leave for home around 6.30pm to 7pm, but nowadays we are going home between 10 and 10.30pm."

The situation was similar at other banks too.

At Vijaya Bank, another state-run bank, employees had a hectic time.

Rajneesh Arora, chief manager Vijaya Bank (Fraser Road), said: "In the past one week, bankers' workload has gone up. The bank is open till 4pm, followed by which tallying of all currency notes is done."

After the day is done, the bank officials have to give a report through videoconferencing to the head office in the evening about daily work.

The information that bank officials share includes the number of functional ATMs and cash dispersed and exchanged during the day.

Private sector banks are also working on overdrive to meet the situation.

Employees of HDFC Bank, for example, are working till 10.30 or 11pm.

Nitesh Narayan Choudhary, the branch manager at HDFC Bank on Exhibition Road, said: "The work pressure for employees has gone up. Employees are provided with lunch and snacks packets by the bank."