These machines, to be installed in a few banks shortly, would facilitate easy and faster transaction of securities.

For this purpose, SHHIL has already tied-up with seven nationalised banks and a few stock brokers.

Developed with in-house expertise, the RTMs would network SHCIL, banks and brokers thereby reducing the time-lag for securities transaction.

Around 50 -60 RTMs are expected to be in place in the country by the end of the current fiscal, said SHCIL CEO and managing director B V Goud here on Monday.pTo avail the RTM service, a customer has to initially open an account both with the bank and SHCIL. Following this, he will be issued a signature-specific smartcard, which will act as an interface with the bank, broker and SHCIL.

These cards will be used to convey the customer request for buying/selling of securities to the banks which in turn will interact with the brokers for further transactions while SHCIL will keep track of the transaction details.The main objective of these RTMs are to provide hassle-free customer service, Goud said. The minimum investment for setting of each RTM is around Rs 10 lakh and this expense would be met by internal accruals, he added.This apart, SHCIL also plans to set up smartcard reader facility for high networth individuals to transact business directly, Goud said.Inaugurating the depository participant terminal here on Monday, Goud said in Tamil Nadu alone there were about 8000 accounts which is expected to shoot up to 25,000 before March next year.

More such DP terminals will be opened at Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kochi and a few other northern states shortly, he added.

SHCIL, in the last four months of the current fiscal, has already recorded a turnover of Rs 20,000 crore in contrast to the total turnover of Rs 24,000 crore accrued during 1998-99.

This vast increase has impelled the firm to set up more services, Goud said.Among the other services planned are exclusive customer service cells in all its service centres to cater to the complaints of the investors and Internet-based services, which are expected to go online in a fortnight's time.