Citizens break window panes of GPO in Bhusawal

NASHIK/BHUSAWAL: Citizens who visited the general post office (GPO) in Bhusawal on Saturday for exchanging old currency notes created chaos and broke window panes. No complaint has been registered with the police.
People crowded the post office even before it opened on Saturday morning for depositing money and exchanging the scrapped high denomination currency notes. Only two window counters were serving people for exchanging currency notes.Citizens demanded more windows to be opened for getting their notes exchanged.
In the meantime, some agitated citizens broke window panes of the old building in the campus.
Officials at the GPO said that the State Bank of India gives Rs 40 lakh to them and this amount is distributed to 34 post offices including Muktainagar, Raver, Varangaon, Faizpur, Savda and Bodwad. The GPO keeps Rs 16 lakh for distribution for which two windows - one for male and one for female serve the citizens. Each window is given only Rs 10,000 for distribution and hence there is no point in having additional windows for such a paltry amount. Besides currency exchange, money is also being deposited in the accounts of citizens.
"We have to distribute the amount that the bank has given to us. There is no point in having additional windows as money coming to us is less than the demand. Two window counters are sufficient for the amount to be distributed. We are here to serve people. They should understand our limitations," said postmaster BR Wankhede to reporters.
Meanwhile, Surbhi Shrivatav a student of Dr Ulhas Patil Medical College who went to the bank near Police Multi Purpose Hall on Saturday morning to exchange Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, was robbed off her mobile phone. She kept her mobile beside her while filling the form for exchanging notes when an unknown person picked it up. Offence has been registered at the district Peth Police Station, Jalgaon.