KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
It’s literally chaos in banks across Kashmir. Long serpentine lines that snake out of the bank premises are a common sight since morning, as people queue up to deposit Rs 500 and 1000 notes. At J&K Bank’s Residency Road Branch, people are waiting since morning with packets containing cash, clutched to their chests, for exchange.
Given the ‘confusion’ that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement has created, not many people are ready to talk. “I have saved Rs 16 thousand for my diabetic father’s treatment. I have travelled 100 km to get them exchanged,” said Javaid Ahmad, who lives in Kupwara. “Since nobody accepts Rs 500 and 1000 notes anymore, I need cash for his treatment.”
All police stations concerned are told to ensure extra-security around bank branches dispensing cash.
For Haleema, a housewife in her mid-forties, it is another way of causing inconvenience to ordinary citizens. “I am waiting outside the bank since early morning in this cold weather,” complains Haleema. “I have saved my entire life. Is it illegal? Why we are made to feel like we have done something illegal. It’s my hard earned money.”
Unlike mainland India, the prevailing situation in Kashmir has added to the woes of common people as a significant number of bank branches are not functioning. “I have come from South Kashmir to get money exchanged,” said Abid, a private contractor. “The branches in our area open only during deal hours.”
