There was still no respite for the salaried class in West Bengal who for the second day running failed to withdraw sufficient cash from banks and ATMs due to paucity of notes.
On Friday, the second day of the new month when employees have got their remunerations but are unable to lay hands on their own money, serpentine queues were seen outside banks and ATMs with many refuting the availability of Rs 2,000 notes which prove to be a difficult denomination to use.
"How do you buy vegetables using a Rs 2,000 note? Will I go to Mr (Narendra) Modi for change? Who will give me Rs 300 of goods if I produce a Rs 2,000 note? But that's what I am getting from the ATMs," said a private firm employee standing in front of an ATM in Esplanade.
"I have to pay for my grandson's school fees. I need money to run the house and also to pay off our maids. I have come to the bank with a Rs 10,000 cheque. Now they are telling me the cash is over after standing in the queue for more than two hours. They are saying even after the notes come, they can only provide Rs 5,000. How is this helping my cause? How will I run the family?" said a senior citizen near a Kankuganchi bank.
Even after more than three weeks of demonetisation by the central government, the situation for the commoners seem grim with the cap on weekly withdrawal limit and lack of adequate supply of currency notes leading to people's plight.
According to the Reserve Bank of India's order, a person can withdraw cash against withdrawal slip or cheque subject to a weekly limit of Rs 24,000 including withdrawals from ATMs and over the counter from the bank accounts.
--IANS
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