PANAJI
Sunday mornings are generally the time for Goans to visit the local market. Though the Panaji market was expectedly less crowded, ATMs turned into ‘final destinations’ for the people.
Most banks across Panaji preempted the crowds and had stocked their ATMs. However, the prominent private banks across the city struggled as ATMs ran out of cash by noon. By 1 pm, larger banking establishments on the 18th June Road and D B Road too ran out of cash and began requesting those standing in queues to visit the branch on Monday for exchange of old `500 and `1,000 notes.
In some ATMs, withdrawal limits were set at Rs 1,000 at a time and it took several swipes to withdraw an amount sufficient for a visit to the market.
As shutters began to be pulled down on half the ATMs in the capital, queues only grew longer outside the remaining booths.
Roads, which are otherwise empty on Sundays, witnessed vehicles parked to 80 per cent of their capacity.
The announcement by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday that it may still take up to three weeks for ATMs to start functioning normally did not affect those who are already down to their last few notes. Some, who have already acquired the new
`2,000 notes complained that not many vendors in the market accepted the new currency readily unless the bill amount was higher than `1,500.
“I have a `2,000 note. But the fisherwoman was not ready to tender change. So, I had the option of either buying a lot of fish or offer Rs 100 notes. I landed up buying fish for only half the week,” Sumitra Gawas, a resident of St Inez said.
