The sale of fuel has shot up by nearly 20 per cent on Friday as compared to the normal days -the last day for the people to use the now- defunct note of the denomination of 500 to buy fuel, informed Vivek Goyal, media in-charge of Dehradun Petrol Dealer Welfare Association. There are around 70 petrol pumps in Dehradun city and Vikas Nagar area, taken together. According to Goyal, the sale of the fuel has soared by nearly 20 percent at most of the fuel stations located in the city. However, the fuel station officials were in difficulty in giving changes in the smaller currencies with most of the buyers going for the purchase not exceeding Rs 200.
As compared to the normal days, longer queues were seen at the fuel stations across the city. “I am eager to dispose of the now-scrapped 500 notes by buying fuel on the last day of the facility. I need to have fuel worth 200. I would get Rs 300 as changes in smaller currencies, something which would help me these hard days,” said a customer Pratap Bisht founding waiting for his turn at a fuel pump on EC Road.
However, the employees of the same fuel pump were found reeling under difficulty for the dearth of enough smaller currencies to meet the demands of the situation. “The customers are buying fuel worth Rs 100 or Rs 200 while producing the now- recalled 500 rupee notes. It means we would have to return each of them the changes in smaller currencies,” said an employee.
Another employee said that he was feeling relieved in the thought that he would no longer be bothered to take up the recalled notes and return the changes in smaller currencies. “The sale has shop up by over 20 percent on Friday as compared to Thursday,” he added.