NT NETWORK
VASCO/ MARGAO
Normal life in the state was thrown out of gear a day after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes. People faced hardships in procuring essential items and using public transport.
Shops, commercial establishments and even pharmacies refused to accept Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination notes as they ran out of smaller denomination currencies including Rs 50 and Rs 100 notes. Many private hospitals too put up notices refusing to entertain patients who could not provide legal tender.
Fish and vegetable vendors, besides hoteliers, shopping centres, lodgings, restaurants, electrical shops, bus operators, book stalls, grocery shops, eateries, fisher folk women and fish vendors refused to accept Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes from the customers.
Train passengers were severely affected. Several passengers had a hard time to exchange Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.
People also faced major inconvenience in water, electricity and telephone bills on Wednesday, since banks and cooperative societies remained closed. The cash counters of Mormugao Municipal Council and also of KTCL shuttle bus service did not accept Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. Fish market in Vasco also was affected due to the announcement of withdrawal of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.
An hotelier in Vasco disclosed that the customers were informed in advance to pay the bills except in Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currencies. A hotel owner said, “We have not taken any risk to accept the withdrawn currencies in order to avoid counterfeit notes.”
Most of Margao market wore a deserted look as there was only a trickle of customers owing to shortage of Rs 100 notes.
Confusion reigned supreme at petrol pumps in the commercial town as owners stopped dispensing petrol to two-wheelers who could not provide change.
An attendant at one of the petrol pumps informed, “People have been coming and trying to exchange the Rs 500 notes for Rs 100 notes and all our stock of change got exhausted as a result and we had no option but to stop dispensing petrol from time to time.”
At Hospicio, confusion ruled supreme as the kin of patients complained that neither the pharmacy nor the canteen was accepting Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes and so they faced a lot of hardships as a result of the sudden change. The canteen staff however said that there was shortage of legal tender as so they could not help the kin of the patients.
However, president of Cutbona Boat Owners Association Savio D’Silva informed that there was no impact at the jetty on Wednesday and the auctioning was done normally, however he said that they will have to wait and watch in the days to come to know the impact of the sudden change.
While some people have welcomed the decision of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in withdrawing Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, there were others who were annoyed with the sudden demonetisation.