Facing cash crunch, many foreign tourists cutting short their visit

Linda, a 34-year-old tourist from Sweden, has been facing a traumatic time standing in bank queues for the past few days to get cash.

Apart from the shortage of cash, she has had to suffer people clicking her photo without permission, getting stalked and even listening to lewd comments passed at her. Since the demonetisation move a week ago, Linda and other foreign tourists are an upset lot.

“For the last three days it’s been a big challenge to get some cash,” Linda told IANS standing in the middle of a crushing queue of around 400 people at a Citibank ATM kiosk in Paharganj. I had to go to three banks, and everyday I had to spend around three to four hours to get cash,” Linda said, referring to the severe cash crunch in the country since the government spiked 500 and 1,000 rupee notes on November 8.

She was also upset by the response of the bystanders, and said, “I went mad, when people here passed lewd comments at me.” She said many clicked pictures of her and many tried to follow her to her hotel. “I feel insecure as there is no proper security arrangement at the banks,” Linda said.

She said this was her second visit to India and she has been in the country for about a month. “But my second trip experience has been horrible (due to demonetisation),” she said, adding that most people did not have the correct information. 

“What has been more frustrating is that there was no proper information available,” she said, and added that she’s cutting short her visit and returning to her country.

Many other foreign tourists in Delhi are finding it tough to manage. Rebecca, from England who was on a month’s trip to India, said: “I have had to cut short my trip due to the cash crunch. Now I am going back just after 18 days.” Sharing her experience of standing in the bank queues, Rebecca said: “Standing in the queues is very scary. People stare, they try to come close and they follow us and stalk.”