Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Heavy rush at banks, markets ahead of Eid

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While banks and market places were heavily crowded on the last weekend before Eid al Fitr, many offices in the capital city witnessed employee presence below the mark.


The country has already slipped into a holiday mood ahead of the public holidays, which begin on Saturday.


“The holiday spirit is always high, especially before festivals like Eid as employees want to add more days to holidays so that they can arrange their travel itinerary”, said Fahd Lawati, a public relation officer with a state-owned firm.


He said that many employees who have not yet taken their official holidays are entitled to take compensatory offs or benefit from sick leaves.


An official at the ministry of manpower said that employees in the emergency services are not allowed to avail these kinds of facilities.


“Any employee who abstains from work which has emergency nature will be subjected to legal accountability”, he said.


But the scene in the city’s most commercial banks was different with heavy rush of people.


“Customers are making big transactions which cannot be done through ATMs. We are having a very busy time”, said Saleh al Balushi, a senior official at a commercial bank.


People were in a hurry before Eid to exchange old currencies of smaller denominations with new, crisp currency notes that they would be giving away on the Eid day.


Among Muslims, it is customary that crisp and shining currency notes are given as gifts and since ATMs don’t store currencies of smaller denominations people have to get it from bank branches, he said.


All banks operating in the Sultanate will remain closed from Friday and will reopen for routine business on July 2.


Meanwhile, salespersons of the city’s shopping malls and other markets had a tough time coping with the rush of customers.


“Shoppers are arriving in large numbers at a time,” said Suber Ahmed, a salesperson at a shopping mall.


Malls are expecting a huge influx of visitors in the next couple of days to take advantage of shopping deals and offers.


Hotels and resorts have seen an increase in reservation, as tourists from abroad including neighbouring countries come to the Sultanate.


SAMUEL KUTTY


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