The families that were waiting for marriages of their children in coming days are worst hit by the demonetization scheme of the Central Government.
There are families who had collected cash by withdrawing from different bank accounts for making payments facing problems in using those old currency notes. Moreover, the woes of such people are never ending as they are unable to get more than Rs 10,000 per day from the banks. While, the residents of the city were found raged as all the banks and the post offices were closed on Monday, the ATMs also ran out of the cash.
Markets remained dull and secluded despite the start of the season of marriage. Shopkeepers and vendors are troubled due to lack of customers. The families of the brides and grooms are also puzzled due to lack of money and due to the failure of the ATM machines.
“I have collected as much as Rs 2 lakh for my son’s marriage which is scheduled on November 23 but the currency notes have been useless after the union government’s decision. I have been in the queues of the banks for the last 2 days in order to exchange the currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 but I failed due to excessive crowd. The ATMs are also not working. We cannot even cancel the marriage as the invitation cards have been distributed,” says DP Pandey, a resident of kotra Sultanabad locality in Bhopal.
“The Government’s decision of scrapping the old currency notes has adversely affected the markets as the people who do not have cards are unable to purchase things from the market. All the shopkeepers and vendors of the market are distressed as the business of the market would be affected by the government’s decision in this marriage season,” says Pradeep Gupta, spokesperson of New Market Vyapari Sangh.
On the other hand, the patients and their families were found troubled as most of the medical shops owners have refused to accept the currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000.
“I want to purchase some medicines for my grandfather, who has been admitted in a private hospital at Shahpura but now I am worried as all the medical shop owners have refused to accept the notes. I cannot even get the money from the ATMs due to long queues,” says Shadab Khan, another resident of Shahpura. However, the Government has extended the use of old defunct Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes for paying household utility bills, fuel, taxes and fees and purchases from co-operative stores till November 24.
The Government has also extended suspension of toll on National Highways across the country till midnight of November 18.