Taking serious view of problems being faced by foreign tourists due to demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 100, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav asked officials to initiate steps to provide relief to the tourists.
The CM directed Chief Secretary Rahul Bhatnagar to coordinate with senior bank officials and ensure that separate bank counters were opened for foreign tourists in Agra and Varanasi so that they could withdraw the new currency.
The directives were issued after a report appeared in a section of media on how a British couple was forced to go empty stomach on Wednesdayin a railway station despite having high denomination currency notes with them.
The Station Master acted as a good Samaritan and arranged Rs 100 currency for them. The British couple refused to eat food offered by the Station Master and purchased their own food.