Jagat Pal, a native of Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, came to Delhi six years ago to make a better life for himself. He has been selling tea in Connaught Place for a long time and sends a majority of his income back home to his family. But since demonetisation came into effect, Mr. Pal has fallen on hard times: “Even the usual customers don’t have money. How can I expect them to buy my tea? Back home, my family is facing problems but there is nothing I can do about it. I live in a tiny rented room.”
Mr. Pal’s story, unfortunately, is not unique.
Slump
Salim, a vegetable seller in Shakarpur market, has been deeply affected by the note ban. “In the two decades I have spent in Delhi, I haven’t seen any government action have such a drastic impact,” he said, adding that customers were finding it too difficult to pay for the veggies. “My sales have dropped down from Rs.8,000 a day to just Rs.3,000. I find it extremely difficult to support a family of six with this income. This policy has been a menace to the masses.”
“People buy fruits worth a few hundred rupees and expect change for a Rs.2,000 note. What do I do? We stand in the line from 7.30a.m. but even then the ATM runs out of cash before we can withdraw any money. We still have it better. People in villages are the worst affected. Who will be willing to give change for a Rs.2,000 note there? One thing is sure, by the time this ordeal is over and the situation improves, many lives will have been completely destroyed,” says Madan Lal, a fruit-seller in Connaught Place.
“Times are tough. I have to send money to my family. I have to pay the school fees and have to be prepared to handle any emergency that arises if someone falls ill. I also have to run the household,” said Rajesh Upadhyay, who sells fast food around Connaught Place.
A rare story
But not everyone is suffering. Raju Kashyap, a native of Badayun in Uttar Pradesh, came to the city about five years ago. He sells aloo parantha and chhole kulchhe from a cart in Laxmi Nagar. His stall has always been surrounded by customers and the note ban has not effected his business too much. “Thankfully there has been no major crisis at home or at the food-stall. I have often asked my regular customers to pay later if they don’t have sufficient cash. As far as Rs.2,000 notes are concerned, I don’t face any problem as people know that a small vendor like me can’t give change,” said Mr. Kashyap, a father of three, adding: “I am positive that this policy will help the nation in the long run”.
(The writers are interns with The Hindu)
