88-year-old Thayi, a vegetable vendor at the Connemara market, Palayam, could not afford to buy lunch on Friday, as she had hardly earned any money in the past two days. Barely any customers came, and when they did, they wanted to pay for purchases worth Rs.50 with notes of Rs.500, which Thayi could not accept.
Other vendors fared no better, with the market almost empty even in the peak evening hours. Although footfall had improved from the last two days, it was nowhere close to the usual business, they said.
The sellers of perishable goods such as vegetables, fruits, and fish were the worst affected, with their goods rotting before customers could make it to the market from the crowded banks and ATMs. Even when customers came, most vendors were strict about not accepting currency notes of Rs.500 and Rs.1,000
Auto drivers too
The vendors are only the visibly affected link in the supply chain. 70-year-old Mariyam, a fish vendor from Veli, is worried about how the fish vendors’ society that she is a part of will pay the fisherfolk their weekly due on Saturday. The society has over Rs.1.5 lakhs in cash, all of which in currency notes that are no longer legal tender. The fishing communities of Sreekaryam and Kazhakuttam are also facing a similar dilemma, she says.
Elsewhere in the city, autorickshaw drivers also share the vendors’ plight, with much fewer passengers using their services since Wednesday. Nevertheless, many of them are in favour of the central government’s move. “It was a good deed,” says Thayi. “Poor folks like us will suffer for four days because of it, but if it brings down inequality between the rich and poor, it is worth the trouble.”
