Mangaluru goes cashless; common man's struggles continue on 6th day

[email protected] (CD Network | Suresh)
November 14, 2016

Mangaluru, Nov 14: Even six days after the abolishment of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, the coastal city of Mangaluru has failed to recover from the unexpected shock.

bankque 5

In fact, the demonetization move has affected pretty much every sphere of life — from getting provisions and eating out, to making routine payments such as rent and salaries to domestic help.

While making announcement of demonetization, the government has assured that banks would work on weekends too for exchange of notes. Ironically, on week days too the banks and ATMs are functioning partially thanks to scarcity of notes.

The government on Monday has extended the usage of existing Rs.500 and Rs.1,000 notes for select transactions till 24 November from the earlier deadline of 14 November.

This means that people can now use these notes at government hospitals, government-run cooperative shops, air-ticket counters, milk booths, petrol stations, international airports, to buy tickets at railway stations, to pay for medicines in government and private medical shops, to get cooking gas cylinders, and to pay court fees till 24 November. 

However, thanks to the scarcity of change, the government's relaxation has not improved the situation in the city.

No change in bunks

Petrol bunks are accepting old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, but you can only fill up for amounts in increments of Rs 500. The reason is that the bunk employees don't have Rs 100 notes to return as change. So if you want to fill fuel for, say, Rs 200, chances are you won't get Rs 300 back.

Market Woes

The future for hundreds of vegetable, fruits and other household merchants, who supply daily needs to entire city is in quandary. "From Sunday onwards I have stopped the purchasing of goods and will resume when everything turns to normalcy," says worried vegetable merchant Peter D'Souza.

Abdul Salam, wholesale fruit merchant at the market shares that they have given goods in credit to regular customers. "Since all are transactions are done in Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency, we have no other way out. For some we have given credit and asked our suppliers to wait for some days to clear their dues," he maintains.

Other merchants complain that they don't have enough change to tender with customers. "All customers are giving us Rs 2000 note. If they make business of Rs 200 or Rs 300, we have to give them change in Rs 100 notes. How can it be possible when bank themselves don't have Rs 100 notes," adds another lemon merchant.

Comments

ibbu Saheb
 - 
Monday, 14 Nov 2016

ACCHE DIN AAGAYE... AUR BI ACCHE DIN ANE WALE HAI...
SO KEEP YOUR ENERGY FOR MORE AND MORE ACCHE DIN...

Rikaz
 - 
Monday, 14 Nov 2016

Be patient, Mr. Modi said it would take 50 days.....after 50 days they will withdrew 2,000 and re-initiate new 1,000 currency....wait and see....

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News Network
April 9,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 9: A special task force--set up by the government of Karnataka--submitted a report to the Chief Minister of Karnataka BS Yediyurappa, putting forward recommendations suggesting minimisation of restrictions in districts where there is nil or minimum cases, here on Wednesday.

The committee said: "COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients should be segregated and online health services should be encouraged. Restrictions should be minimised in districts where there is nil or minimum cases of COVID-19 and lockdown should be continued in hotspot areas with quarantine measures strictly being implemented."

With regards to the testing of likely patient, the committee informed that rapid test kits would help to quarantine more likely patient. "The rapid test kits will arrive in April 12. These kits will boost our facility and would help us in quarantining the more people."

On the subject of lifting transportation ban, the committee suggested that the transport of goods and services must continue but with regards to passenger carriers, they are suspended till April 30.

"Goods and Transportation should be allowed, but passenger carriers should be banned until further orders. No buses, trains nor flights will be plying till April 30. No metro trains and auto-rickshaws should be allowed and an odd-even system transport system should be implemented," the committee added.

The committee also suggested that all industries, IT, BT and Garments should be made to work on 50 per cent strength. Garments workers should be allowed to stitch PPEs, which are in more demand. And for construction workers, the committee suggested that they should be allowed to work at sites at 50 per cent strength.

They suggested that educational institutions remain closed till May 30 and online classes must be encouraged.

Dr. Devi Shetty heads the Taskforce and Dr. C. N. Majunath, Dr. Nagaraj, Dr. Ravi and Sudharshan were also the part of the committee.

According to the Ministry of health and family welfare, 181 cases have been reported in the state so far. A total of 5,734 positive cases have been reported of which, 166 are dead and 473 are cured/discharged and migrated.

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News Network
July 5,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 5: Day after a Covid-19 patient died on a road near his home waiting for an ambulance for nearly two hours, Bengaluru civic body commissioner on Saturday offered his unconditional apology for the tragic incident.

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) Commissioner BH Anil Kumar met the family of the 55-year-old Covid-19 victim who died unattended on the roadside on Friday and apologised on behalf of the BBMP.

BH Anil Kumar also appealed to citizens to not stigmatise coronavirus patients and their families.

"Met the family of the Covid victim in Gavipuram who was left unattended on the roadside. Offered an unconditional apology on behalf of the BBMP as our staff could have handled the situation in a better manner. Appeal to citizens not to stigmatise Covid-19 patients & families," BH Anil Kumar said in a tweet.

In one of the pictures tweeted by BH Anil Kumar, he can be seen standing with folded hands in front of the deceased Covid patient's family.

The 55-year-old man was getting treatment at his house after he developed breathing issues. However, his condition worsened after his Covid-19 report came positive. His wife then informed the hospital and requested an ambulance.

His family members decided to take him to the hospital by an autorickshaw as the ambulance was getting late. However, the man collapsed on the street as soon as he stepped out of his house.

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News Network
May 30,2020

Dubai, May 30: Taking advantage of Vande Bharat Mission, a notorious NRI conman has fled to India through a repatriation flight after duping several businessmen in United Arab Emirates and stealing goods worth nearly six million dirhams.

Yogesh Ashok Yariava, 36, owner of the fraudulent Royal Luck Foodstuff Trading and prime suspect in the audacious scam took a flight to Hyderabad from Abu Dhabi on May 11 with around 170 repatriates.

His mandatory two-week quarantine period would have ended on May 25, but for his 40 odd victims a protracted battle for justice has just begun.

Last Wednesday many of them trooped down to the Indian Consulate office in Dubai in the hope of getting an audience with Consul General Vipul. The following day they went to Bur Dubai police station clutching dud bank cheques.

In a replay of the familiar trading scam, conmen representing Royal Luck Foodstuff approached unsuspecting traders and made bulk purchases against post-dated cheques.

They bought anything they could get their hands on: Facemasks, hand sanisters and medical gloves worth nearly half a million dirhams from Skydent Medical Equipment, Raheeq Laboratories and GSA Star; rice and nuts (Dh393,000) from Al Baraka Foods; tuna, pistachios and saffron (Dh300,725) from Yes Buy General Trading; French fries and mozzarella cheese (Dh229,000) from Mehdu General Trading; frozen Indian beef (Dh207,000) from Al Ahbab General Trading and halwa and tahina (Dh52812) from Emirates Sesame Factory. It’s a long list and it keeps getting longer as more victims come forward.

When their post-dated cheques started bouncing, the traders rushed to Royal Luck’s Opal Tower office in Business Bay. But it was too late. They had shut down and all their 18 staffers had disappeared. Visits to their warehouses also drew a blank.

“Calls made to the company’s sweet-talking purchase managers who visited us days earlier carrying fancy business cards remained unanswered,” said Chandrasekaran Ganesan of Ajman-based Skydent Medical Equipment which supplied protective face masks worth Dh175,875.

Another business owner, Anand Asar said he visited Royal Luck’s office after his cheque of Dh79,552 returned marked insufficient funds. “The security guard at the building told us their staff was last seen on May 17,” said Asar who has since lodged a police complaint.

“I am devastated. I don’t know how I will recover my losses,” said another trader.

Victims reckon the ill-gotten goods have been sold to third parties at dirt cheap prices.

“They have got millions of dirhams worth of goods against worthless pieces of paper. The scammers would rack up huge profits even if they sell our stuff for one tenth their price,” said another trader who pegged his losses at Dh200,000.

The scam comes close on the heels a Dh4 million fruit loot in which 810 tonnes of fruits shipped by Indian exporters to OPC Foodstuff Trading in Deira, Dubai were similarly stolen last month.

Legal adviser Salam Pappinisseri from Sharjah based United Advocates that represents five firms which have collectively lost over Dh550,000 said they are weighing legal action against the prime suspect Yogesh Ashok Variava in both India and the UAE.

“Yogesh, originally from Mumbai, absconded from the UAE with large amounts of money on an emergency evacuation flight. It’s strange that the fraudster got a seat in the flight which was meant to bring stranded Indian citizens who had registered with the Indian embassy and consulate requesting repatriation on urgent grounds,” said Pappinisseri.

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