Hunger pangs everywhere

Vijayawada: As the more than 80 per cent of nationalised banks in the city are running out of cash and more than 90 per cent ATMs of public sector banks are closed in the city for the past three days, people, particularly the poor and middle class, are confused how to get money to meet their day to day expenses.

Due to impact of demonitisation, thousands of families are spending sleepless nights thinking how to get change, or small denomination notes to buy provisions or meet other expenses.Since the banning of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination notes by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8, the poor are struggling to get hand loans from others even from their friends, shop owners or neighbours. These families don’t have either debit cards or credit cards to buy provisions in the departmental stores or big shopping malls.

These families are eagerly waiting for the supply of Rs 500 new notes and small denomination notes by the government. Small denomination notes play a vital role in the day to day life of the poor and middle class families.

They could not afford buying provisions or other essential goods in large quantities.As the cash reserves in the government banks are running out, the poor are losing hopes of withdrawing money from banks or exchange of money in the banks.

Number of customers visiting the banks in the city gradually declined for the last four days. More over, the government’s announcement of slashing the dispensation to each customer from Rs 4,500 to Rs 2,000 per day further dashed their hopes of withdrawing money. Incidentally, the government also imposed restrictions that the disbursement per week should not exceed Rs 24,000 to each customer.

I Murthy, a bank manager, said the number of customers visiting the banks for withdrawing are coming down and may come down further if the RBI not supplies cash reserves to the banks.Rich and upper middle class, particularly the business community, government employees and professionals like doctors, engineers, advocates have debit cards and credit cards to buy provisions or meet other expenses.

There are thousands of families in the city who can ‘t maintain minimum deposit of Rs2,000. Petty traders, who sell fruits, vegetables, fancy items, plastic goods and other products on pavements, are worried about their future. K Naresh, a fruit vendor on Sambamurthy road, said: “I don’t have money to exchange money in the bank.

The wholesale traders, too, are not giving stock on credit due to their own problems and it had severely affected my family life.”Daily wage workers, who work in organised sector, too, are struggling due to shortage of change and new currency note of Rs 2,000. K Naveen, a resident of Poornanandampet, said neither his shop owner nor his friends are giving loan to meet the emergency expenses. He said only God knows when their woes will end.