People wake up to confusion

- Milk vendors, hotels, restaurant owners and petrol bunks refuse to accept Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes from customers

A college girl Radha saved Rs 1 lakh from her pocket money in five years. “Should I go to bank number of times for Rs 500 currency exchange and whether all this is needed for honest citizens,” she asked

A government employee Rama Krishna said, “I have kept Rs 5 lakh all in Rs 1,000 denomination to give as dowry for my sister's marriage and as per agreement I am supposed to give the dowry money on Saturday, how can I exchange my old notes for new ones when the restriction for exchange is just Rs 4,000 per day,”

Anantapur: As people woke up from their sleep in the wee hours of Wednesday, they were shocked to hear that from the petrol bunk operators that they are not accepting Rs 500 denominations. Many who are not aware of the Prime Minister Modi's announcement of the scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes have for a moment become dumbfounded. There are of course people who just read their morning newspaper headlines of the government move and have panicked. The early morning of Wednesday saw people in groups sitting at the coffee houses and tea corners and discussing the hot and shocking topic followed by multiple questions of how difficult or hassle-free it is going to be the process for notes exchange in the new few days. Milk vendors and hotels and restaurant owners have slapped back the Rs 500 notes given to them on the customers by asking, have you not read the morning paper or heard the television news of the two denomination votes turning invalid just by a stroke of Modi's pen.

Petrol bunk dealer Nagaraju at the Saptagiri Circle told The Hans India that Rs 500 notes are not acceptable as this would add to the dealer's accountability for the exchange of the two denomination notes in the next few days. People, who offered 500 rupee notes, were asked to take them back and instead give only 100 rupee or lesser denomination. As news spread like wild fire chaos also spread throughout the town and district with several questions staring at them. Rama Krishna, a government employee, asked what sort of nonsense is this, I have kept Rs 5 lakh all in Rs 1,000 denomination to give as dowry for my sister's marriage and as per agreement I am supposed to give the dowry money on Saturday, how can I exchange my old notes for new ones when the restriction for exchange is just Rs 4,000 per day, he asked in anguish. Who will help me at this last hour, he demanded to know.

Farmer Rakesh Naidu of Garladinne village, who had spent a portion of bank loan taken from a nationalised bank, had kept Rs 2 lakh amount for further expenses in his home chest demanded to know whether he has to show the proof to the bank when he goes for exchanging notes.

A political party leader of Anantapur mandal on anonymity observed that several political leaders and business people with political affiliation stated that already many black money holders must have taken the clue from the plea of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in the recent past to the Centre to scrap the said two denominations and exchanged all their black notes long back. The only difficulty is for the people, who have genuine earnings and must have saved money in their home almirah chests and now may have to face embarrassing questions from the government while many must have gone scot-free by taking clues from political leaders.

One house wife Mary Swarna Latha of Arvindnagar in the city says that it is embarrassing to explain or give account to officials for money that they have saved in their own cash chest boxes and whether it is justified to embarrass millions of honest citizens. A college girl Radha saved Rs 1 lakh from her pocket money in five years. “Should I go to bank number of times for Rs 500 currency exchange and whether all this is needed for honest citizens,” she asked. When will this agony end how long will this economic uncertainty continue and how should we put up with this nonsense that is imposed on us when moneyed people and big names actually are not panicking, meaning that their interests had already been taken care of someone in the corridors of power.

Surendra, a college lecturer says that while the objective is good, the very purpose of the sudden decision can never be realised as the moneyed people will always have a way of escape. Many intelligent and wise people must have taken the clue already and taken care of themselves by now that's why there is no panic among the affluent class, says several members of the public discussing the topic in a public library.