The sudden decision on November 8 banning denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 has left the entire nation in turmoil. The past two days have seen endless queues, chaos and confusion at banks across the country. It has taken people hours to draw cash — and the worst part is that now, with the ATMs dispensing the new Rs 2,000 note, people have cash but there's no change available. Residents from societies across Delhi-NCR have stories to share on how they handled the demonetisation. Here are a few stories from Mayur Vihar Phase I Extension:
When his grandson's piggy bank came to the rescue
SK Bahuguna, a resident of Glaxo Apartments, said that soon after he heard about the denominations of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 being abolished, he prompted his family members to save notes of smaller denominations. “We had gone to Uttarakhand to attend a family function two weeks back and reached Delhi on November 8. We managed to buy some groceries using Rs 240 that my wife had but the next day was really tough. Despite having currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, we were helpless. I had no option but to ask my grandson to give me the money he had saved in his piggy bank. It was not easy to convince him, but when we promised to repay double the amount on Sunday [November 13], he handed over his piggy bank.”
When Mr Gupta had to borrow money from his maid
Rattan Lal Gupta, a resident of Vardhaman Apartments, said he was left with no option but to borrow Rs 200 from the maid who works at his place. “The main problem was I got to know of the development when the ATMs were already witnessing long queues. Around 8.30 pm, when I reached the Punjab National Bank ATM at Samachar market, the queue was never-ending. We had to manage the next two days with just Rs 200.”
When mom had to borrow from her sons
Payal Sehgal, a resident of Samachar Apartments, said she does not remember the last time she had to borrow money from her sons. “On the evening of November 9, when I was going to the market with a few other women to buy vegetables, we were calculating how much money we had among ourselves. Someone had Rs 70 and another had Rs 100. I was the richest among them, with Rs 600 — all in small denominations borrowed from my sons!”
