Currency note ban dampens Jagadhatri puja spirit

The organisers of the Chandannagar Jagadhatri Puja are facing problems as all the money they had collected to organise the Puja could not be used.

The old notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, which has no value in the market has left the organisers in a dilemma. Wednesday and Thursday was Navami and Dashami of Jagadhatri Puja.

The organisers who had gone to the market could not spend those notes as the shopkeepers refused to accept them.

“We have the money, but we cannot purchase anything. We had the same experience when we went to the market to buy flowers and fruits required for the pujas,” an organiser said.

Some the members even rushed to the political parties to take their help to get the puja items as the shopkeepers refused to provide them with the items.

Later, with the help of local political leaders, they managed to get the flowers and fruits on credit from flower and fruit sellers.

The news of the banning of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes broke at a time on Tuesday night when the streets of Chandannagar were full of pandal hoppers and revellers.

The news prompted an immediate rush towards the ATMs. There was chaos as many street food vendors refused notes of these denominations.

Even Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee faced problem at Chandannagar as she had no change at the time when she wished to buy sweet for offering puja.

She had to borrow money for buying the sweets. The Chief Minister visited the French colony and said that the note ban effectively marred the festive mood in the town.

A Kolkata puja organiser, who arranged a cultural programme, had to cancel it, because of the currency note turmoil.

“‘We apologised to the people whom we had taken puja subscription from. We’ll arrange the programme next year,” the organiser said.