Machhapuchhre Bank, for instance, said all its lockers are now booked as more people are using the facility as a safeguard against possible theft and robbery.[break]
The bank is currently renting out lockers at two different rates -- Rs 1,000 per year for a relatively bigger one and Rs 750 per year for a smaller one.
“We are now mulling over adding more lockers as the demand continues to increase,” said Arjun Bahadur Thapa, manager of the bank, which had increased the number of lockers just two months ago.
Other banks are reporting the same trend.
The New Road branch of Nabil Bank has just installed more lockers in the bank to cater to the growing demand. The rental fees for these lockers range from Rs 2,250 to Rs 5,000 per annum. Similar is the situation at Kamana Development Bank, which is offering locker facilities for Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 per year.
According to bankers, the demand for lockers is rising due to fear of losing valuables in case of robbery or theft. Last year, for instance, when cases of robbery were reported in the prime location of the city, people, mostly belonging to middle-income to high-income groups, thronged banks to book these safety vaults, bankers said.
Apart from this, Pokhara has a large settlement of families whose members are serving in the British Army and are relatively rich. “This has also generated demand for the safety boxes,” banks said.
To cash in on the opportunity, Shangri-la Development Bank has just started offering locker facilities. The bank, which had installed 60 boxes, said half of these lockers have already been rented out.
Bankers said people are inclined toward using this service as banks offer security round-the-clock. On top of that no one, except the owner, has idea on the content of these boxes, as the two keys, which are required to open these lockers, are in possession of the bank and the owner. These lockers cannot be opened with only a single key.
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