UP: A surprising incident occurred in Uttar Pradesh's Jalaun district when a petrol pump attendant had to take back petrol from a customer's scooter after he tried to pay with a Rs 2,000 note. This incident shed light on the ongoing challenges faced by businesses and customers in dealing with the withdrawal of Rs 2,000 notes and the scarcity of smaller denominations.
A video of the incident has surfaced on the internet. The Jalaun Police took swift action after the video went viral. In a reply to the viral video posted on Twitter, the official handle of Jalaun police replied, "Taking cognizance of the incident, Inspector-in-charge Police Station Orai has been directed for necessary action."
Withdrawal of Rs 2,000 notes announced by RBI
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) last week issued an announcement regarding the withdrawal of Rs 2,000 currency notes. As per the RBI's directive, individuals can still deposit these notes in banks until September 30.
Furthermore, the RBI has advised banks to stop issuing Rs 2,000 denomination banknotes, citing compliance with the RBI's Clean Note Policy. Consequently, petrol pumps are grappling with the surge in withdrawals of Rs 2,000 notes as customers flock in with these high-value denominations.
Shortage of change led to the refusal of Rs 2,000 notes at many petrol pumps countrywide
Reports suggest that people are crowding fuel pumps in major cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and others to purchase fuel worth as little as Rs 100 or Rs 200. This surge of customers paying with Rs 2,000 notes has created a scarcity of smaller denomination notes and made it difficult for petrol pump staff to provide change.
Many gas stations have reported a shortage of change, making it impossible to facilitate exchanges involving high-value currency. In response, several petrol pumps have resorted to no longer accepting Rs 2,000 notes to prevent potential chaos. Signs and boards with the message 'No change' have been displayed to communicate this decision.
(To receive our E-paper on WhatsApp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
