Tired and fed up with their unsuccessful bid to exchange the currency notes from banks or get money from the ATMs, the harried people went on a rampage on Saturday at several banks in different districts of Bihar and unleashed their anger saying they were going penniless for three days following the demonetisation decision of the Centre. At several places they pelted stones on bank buildings, ATMs and public transport.
Police resorted to lathi- charge to disperse the angry mob in Nawada, Siwan, Gaya, Madhubani, Khagaria and other districts. “I don’t have small notes to even purchase vegetable and other eatables. I can’t eat a few of Rs500 I have with me,” said a ferocious Ram Pukar, a poor farmer of Ekangarsarai. A beggar said for the past four days he has not seen a coin or small denomination note. Reports have arrived here suggesting that at some places last rites of the dead bodies could not be performed due to this problem. One hospital in Patna refused to hand over a body as the relatives failed to pay hospital charges in either new notes or in Rs100 denomination.
“Poor people and daily wage earners have been hit hardest,” said JD(U) leader and former MlA Izhar Ahmad. He said it has become highly difficult, rather impossible to pay the daily workers as the people have exhausted small domination notes including Rs100 notes. “It is really a hard time for everybody,” he added.
The cooperative banks, both in urban and rural areas are badly affected by the demonetisation. “The customer service is badly affected since we have no currency notes and the nationalised banks are not transferring cash to cooperative banks,” said the general manger of a Patna-based urban cooperative bank on condition of anonymity.
In Bihar no urban cooperative bank has chest facility and they deposit with nationalized banks. But after the demonetization they are not allowed to withdraw. Taking care of their concern the RBI issued a directive signed by Chief General Manager P Vijaya Kumar on November 10 asking the nationalized banks to allow rural banks for withdrawal of cash without any condition. “The nationalized banks are not adhering to even RBI directive and we have no cash to take care of our customers,” said Fateh Ali, the manager of a rural bank in Sohsarai in Nalanda district.
The cooperative banks mainly cater to the poor villagers down to block level. “Everything has been badly adversely affected be it marriage or death or purchase of necessary goods,” said a school teacher Shyam Kumar of Maner, in rural Patna, who has been trying to get some money out of his bank account. He said if similar situation prevailed there could be starvation deaths.