Deadline ends: Mad scramble outside RBI office to exchange old notes

With Friday being the last day for depositing demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, large rush was witnessed at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) headquarters at Parliament Street.

Most of the people, mainly from the outside states, stood in long serpentine queues to deposit their old currency notes with the RBI officials in the city. With possession of old currency notes being a criminal offence from April 1, people did not want to take any chances and looked to dispose of the invalid notes.

Most of the people who queued up at the RBI headquarters complained of the lackadaisical approach by the RBI officials. "I have come from all the way from Alwar (Rajasthan) to deposit my old notes. Due to major sickness, I was not able to stand at the queue and deposit my old notes.

Now, I have to deposit my old notes at the RBI headquarters. I have been unable to do it for some time. I have no option but to deposit my old notes with the RBI at any cost or else I will be trouble, "said Sube Singh.

"I still feel that demonetisation has affected the poor much more than the rich, I hope that at the end of it all the poor people like me will be benefitted," added Singh.

Similar trouble was narrated by Urmila Devi, who had come from Eastern Uttar Pradesh to deposit her old notes. Devi said: "I had an important responsibility of marrying of my son and that is why I was not able to deposit some of the notes. Further, the banking facilities in our villages were inept at handling the pressure during demonetisation. I have now come to the RBI headquarters to deposit the money."

While March 31 was the last day for depositing the old currency notes at the RBI headquarters, the RBI has allowed the non-resident Indians (NRIs) time till June 30 to deposit the old currency notes.