“The lines are never ending, and they are everywhere,” said Priya, a resident of Bengali Market.
For her, the move to demonetise Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes has meant allocating all her spare time to planning and organising. “This week, I have spent an entire morning and part of my afternoon trying to deposit and withdraw money. I almost missed my children’s bus when they came back from school. Though we welcome the move, it is turning out to be very exhausting,” said Priya.
‘Every penny counts’
Similar scenes have been panning out across Delhi.
Neelima, a cook in the Pandara Road area, said she had to skip work in some houses to ensure that her savings —Rs. 20,000 — were deposited. “I finally managed to deposit the money. The first day, the bank gave me a token and asked to me come the next day. Even then I had to wait in a line for many hours. I managed to exchange some money for daily expenses, but I have lost wages through the week. Every penny counts for the poor,” she said.
She added that she was only buying essentials with the little money she had.
Demonetisation exhausts city
Meanwhile, a resident of Khan Market, who lives with his ailing father, said he always kept some cash handy.
“Both my sons have been trying to get this money exchanged. I asked them to skip work and get this done on priority basis. We need cash for medicines, to pay the medical help at home, and get the nutritional supplements my father needs,” said Mr. Radhey Kumar.
