The deadline for the people to buy fuel from the fuel stations with the now-recalled currency notes of 500 and 1000 ending on Thursday, the people were found standing in long queues to use the now-defunct notes to fill the tanks of their vehicles. This aside, the people were found in large number to pay the utility dues like power and water with the demonetized currencies, the day being the last one for the facility.
Manohar Singh, found standing in a queue outside the counter of Jal Sansthan for paying water bill of his employer, said that his owner had told him to pay water bill of around Rs 3500 with the now- recalled currency notes of 500 and 1000.
“I filled a form where it is mentioned that I am depositing the recalled currency notes. This being the last day of the deadline, I was a little tense. However, things ended smoothly” he said after emerging from the counter.
The scenario was same at power department counters on Sahastradhara Road and Mohini Road near Aaraghar with the customers being found standing in serpentine queues to deposit the electricity dues with the now-defunct notes.
At a fuel pump near Indira Market, a snaking line was found with people awaiting their turns to refill the fuel tanks of their vehicles with the now-scrapped notes.
Some people even squabbled with the pump employees as the latter asked them to refill fuel worth Rs 500 as they ran short of smaller currencies. One of the customers Bablu said angrily that it was unjust on the part of the station employees to insist that they must buy fuel worth Rs 500 when they needed a smaller quantity.
Ashish who was found at petrol pump near Gandhi Park said, “I had Rs 2000 in the recalled currency notes. I bought petrol worth Rs 1000. I am now relieved having disposed off some of the old notes for a useful purpose, this being the final day of the deadline.”
It should be mentioned here that the Centre had set a deadline of November 24 for the people to use the old notes at select places such as Government hospitals, toll plazas, railway ticket counters and milk booths aside from payment of utility dues like electricity and water.
After midnight on Thursday/Friday, people will only be allowed to exchange the old currency notes for the new notes at banks till December 30.