Calcutta, Feb. 14 :    Calcutta, Feb. 14:  Few employees who opted for State Bank of India's (SBI) voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) have had second thoughts as the scheme winds down to a close on Thursday. SBI, the only one among the flock of banks to have offered a withdrawal facility in its VRS offer, received 35,380 applications, most of which will have to considered by the management. With just a day to go, no rush for withdrawals is expected. The maximum number of withdrawals have been reported from the Bengal Circle, a zone where unions have been the most vociferous in slamming the early-retirement plan. According to a senior member of SBI Staff Association, only 350-400 of the 2,146 applications submitted - which includes 947 from officers - have been taken back so far. V.K. Gupta, general secretary of SBI Staff Association in Delhi, said he knew of 250 withdrawals, of which 100 were from officers. 'The circle, which comprises Rajasthan, Western Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and three districts of Haryana, has seen 4,099 employees opting for VRS, including 2,292 officers. The story was no different in Mumbai, where 250-300 are believed to have decided to stay back at work. In all, 5,265 employees, which covers 2,417 officers, had filed for the VRS in the circle, which consists of Maharashtra and Goa. Response to the withdrawal facility was lukewarm in the Chennai circle as well. SBI, the largest bank in the country with 2.33 lakh employees, received 33,000 applications for early retirement, and expects the pruning exercise to cost it between Rs 800 and Rs 1,000 crore. However, it has taken a decision to restrict the number to 23,000, 10 per cent of the total staff-strength. Meanwhile, efforts are under way to cope with the post-VRS situation. Chief general managers have been asked to prepare a contingency plan so that employees who leave hand over charge on time, and to ensure that operations are not affected. A section of the employees feel there will be a pressure on the SBI pension fund once the 23,000 employees call it a day. The bank spends Rs 7.08 crore on widow pension, besides Rs 83.89 crore on 18,000 pensioners. Another 8,000 will retire next month, which will cost it an additional Rs 37.29 crore. 'There will be more pressure on the pension fund of Rs 116.52 crore after the VRS departures,' a senior official said.