PANAJI: Many banks and the head post office in the city on Friday were found using markers to mark the right-hand index finger of the customers who had come to exchange the demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes.
After the central government demonetised the high-value currency notes it was found that the same people were repeatedly queuing up before the banks to exchange the scrapped notes. To arrest this situation, the central government announced that indelible ink, which is used during elections, will also be used on note exchangers’ fingers to reduce the crowd at the banks.
However, it was found on Friday that banks and the head post office were using markers instead of indelible ink on the right-hand index finger of the note exchangers.
The move on marking the customers has not been able to reduce the queues at the banks as people have started depositing the money and not exchanging it.
Many people whose fingers had been marked with the markers said the markings could be wiped easily.
Serpentine queues were noticed at almost all ATMs in the city in the afternoon as well as in the suburbs. Most of the ATMs in the city did not have enough money to dispense.
“No ink is required for you since the government has given you an opportunity to withdraw cash up to Rs 24,000 a week. But if you want to only exchange notes then you will be subjected to indelible ink (on your finger),” a SBI customer said.
Expressing his anger at the move, a retired teacher asked, “Why should there be any kind of control by the government on my hard-earned money…”
A harried woman, who had been for the first time to the bank to withdraw money, also spoke against the demonetisation move. Expressing her disappointment over limits on cash withdrawals, she said, “Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi is saying that there is enough cash in the banks. But where the money has gone?’’
