Thousands flock to banks, price of commodities soar Petrol pumps dry, school vans suspend service
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 11 2016: Crowds of people flooded banks in different parts of the State today, forming never ending lines from early morning till late afternoon as they tried to deposit and exchange their now demonetized currency notes.

Adding to the woes of the people, all the petrol pumps in Imphal have gone dry and quite a large number of school vans have suspended service from today, owing to lack of fuel.

The All Manipur School Students Transporters' Association had issued a statement yesterday that they will cease service from today due to lack of fuel.

Hundreds of people formed never ending lines in front of banks as they tried to deposit and exchange their Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes in the wake of the November 8 announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding his Govt decision to scrap the aforementioned notes.

Separate lines had to be arranged for men and women.

People came from early morning in order to deposit and exchange their hard earned money for lower denomination notes.

Although some banks arranged special counters to handle the huge number of people, many were forced to wait for hours on end for their turn.

The queues even extended to the streets as the long lines of people and vehicles parked in front of the banks led to chaotic traffic jams.

Adding to the misery of the public, the prices of essential commodities and fuel have soared due to the ongoing economic blockade imposed by the UNC on the National Highways.

Wholesale shops in Imphal have begun selling their goods at far higher prices at their fancy and whims with, a single kilogram of potatoes now costing Rs 30 to 35 while onions have soared to Rs 35 to 45 per kilo.

The effect of the economic blockade could also be seen on the streets with oil pumps remaining closed.

People selling petrol illegally in front of these oil pumps were also reduced significantly and prices rose to Rs 170 to 200 per litre as vehicle owners tried to lap up whatever few drops of fuel they could find.

Both Thangal Keithel and Paona Keithel bore deserted looks as most of the shops remained closed and the number of customers dropped significantly.

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