Services at around 4,000 bank branches in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were hit as employees of public sector banks went on a day's strike on Friday to protest proposed merger of SBI associates with the parent and other issues.
All India Bank Employees Association Secretary B S Rambabu said clearing operations across the two states were paralysed as almost 70,000 employees working in various banks participated in the stir.
"About 4,000 branches in both the states (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) have been shut down today as part of the strike. Processions were held at all important locations throughout both the states," Rambabu told PTI.
Around 20,000 employees working in 2,800 branches and offices of Andhra Bank across the country along with 10 lakh bank employees and officers participated in the nation-wide bank strike, Andhra Bank Award Employees' Association said in a statement.
The Association has demanded that the government take stringent measures to recover loans from defaulters and declare willful default of bank loans as criminal offence.