As the banks opened on Thursday after remaining shut for one day following the announcement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to demonetise 500 and 1000 rupee currency notes, the people, on the expected lines, thronged the banks across the city in large number to exchange or to deposit the now invalid notes. Many were shocked as the bank officials, helping the customers in exchanging notes, told them that the money-Rs 4000 as fixed-would be given only to the account holders and not to any of their relations.
“This is what happened to me at a branch of HDFC Bank,” said a septuagenarian. “I along my daughter stood in the long queue, waiting our turn. But as my turn did not come till noon my daughter went home to bring my lunch. Meanwhile, my turn came. I was given Rs 4,000 in 100 rupee notes in lieu of the denominations of 500. But as I presented a cheque signed by my daughter the bank official refused to give me cash, insisting that the account holder must be present during the exchange. I had to wait for hours more as my daughter stood in the queue again and kept waiting her turn to reach the bank official engaged in exchanging notes,” he said.
The elderly person was not the only one who was thus left in predicament. Another, again an elderly man from Govind Puri, said while leaving a bank, gloomy-faced, “I waited for hours to exchange notes. But when my turn came the bank official said there was no cash. This means that I would have to come again tomorrow and try my luck. There is no other option as the exchanged cash would not be given to anybody other than the account holder. Please imagine my predicament.”
It is learnt that most of the banks got exhausted with cash by 4.30 pm, leaving the people, waiting in queues, in the lurch.
Bank manager of OBC, Prem Kishore said, “Instructions have been given from the bank headquarters that only the account holders would be given the exchanged money. People can check it on the internet.”