There were serpentine queues at ATMs and pet rol pumps at cities across the country as anxious people rushed to get Rs 100 denomination notes and get rid of their 500 and 1,000 rupee bills soon after PM Narendra Modi's address to the nation.
There was a mad rush at ATM kiosks with people trying desperately for Rs 100 notes. While some were lucky to get Rs 100 notes for amounts such as Rs 400, others were declined by machines which only had Rs 500 notes. Most ATMs ran out of Rs 100 notes within hours. Many shopkeepers stopped taking higher notes soon after Modi's address. Though hospitals and chemist shops were asked not to refuse the high currency notes, there was chaos at hospitals in Lucknow, where attendants ran from one medical shop to another as they refused to accept the currency. A major toll booth operator in Mumbai said the bo oths had decided to accept these notes till Wednesday as “we are waiting for a clarity from the RBI as to whether we should stop accepting notes to force commuters to get them exchanged at banks or we should accept the currency from commuters and deposit them with the banks“. Over two lakh motorists cross toll booths at Vashi, Mulund, Bhandup, Airoli, Dahisar, Sea Link and expressway every day .
But the two-day deadline for petrol pumps notwithstanding, there were logistical problems. “We are running short of change and will have to refuse higher denomination notes.But people are quarrelling and the situation might get out of hand soon,“ said Dr Sharavan Rao, manager of Panjagutta petrol pump in Hyderabad.
While petrol pumps and toll booths accepted Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes, the instructions were clear at some eateries and cinema halls. “We will turn down customers who come in with Rs 500 or Rs 1000 cash. We are strictly insisting on credit card payment or online booking,'' said the cashier at Hotel Zaffran in south Mumbai.
At Sterling Cinema in Mumbai, the booking staff said: “We have been instructed not to accept the banned notes and we will not issue tickets, come what may .“
In Ahmedabad, people sought cops' intervention as the currency notes became invalid almost three hours before the midnight deadline set by Modi.In Chennai, cops had to be deployed at ATMs to manage crowds. “We have received several calls on our helpline number 100 complaining about establishments, mainly petrol pumps and retailers, not accepting currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000,“ DCP (control room) Balram Meena told TOI.Some food joints had put up a board saying “Rs 500-1000 notes not accepted“ on Tuesday evening itself.
In UP , DGP Javeed Ahmed had directed police chiefs to talk to traders' associations and petrol pump owners and provide adequate security to ensure that law and order was maintained. He said special emphasis should be given in rural areas where people are yet not aware of the decision.
Migrant workers like Irfan, who sells toys in Mumbai, was heartbroken as he had dispatched his monthly savings of Rs 3,000, all in Rs 500 notes to his family in UP through a boy who will reach his village on Wednesday . “It will be of no use to my family as they hardly go to bank and totally depend on the cash sent by me,“ he said.
T Sankar, who works in a small company in Madurai, sa id he had received his salary of Rs 5,000 at 8 pm on Tuesday , and that was all the money he had.Now, he has to wait till Friday to get the money changed into Rs 100 notes. “I don't know how I can buy things for tomorrow's food,“ said Sankar, who does not have an ATM card. Jayshree Darbar, a housemaid from Ahmedabad, was in tears, saying: “I had got Rs 10,000 as Diwali bonus. Where will I go in the night to get it deposited in bank? All is lost.“
“There would be complete chaos in the market in the next few weeks. People have already started coming to me with Rs 500 notes while buying petty items to get rid of those notes,“ said Saroj Kumar, a shopkeeper in Patna. Terming the move as “Tughlaqi farman“ (Tughlaq-like order), S Shamsad, a businessman, said: “Putting a tab on black money is a good move but it should not have been so sudden. Poor and middle class people are going to be worst affected.“
However, some people hailed the move saying it would flush out black money from the system. “For those questioning Modi's inaction on black money , this is a masterstroke. The government, however, should ensure there are enough Rs 100 and Rs 50 notes to avoid any inconvenience to people,“ said Sajjan Raj Mehta, former president, Karnataka Hosiery & Garment Association.
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