Bolangir: Common man has been the worst hit in Bolangir because of the strike observed by the lawyers’ association demanding establishment of permanent High Court bench in the district.
Life has come to a standstill in Bolangir town as banks, post office, schools, colleges and government offices have been closed since December 24.
According to sources, most of the banks ATMs are either out of order or cash is not available in the machines.
“I visited five ATMs, but no cash was available in the machines. When I tried to swipe my debit card, the machine indicated network failure. The banks should have kept enough cash in stock at the ATMs. Due to the strike, life has become very difficult during medical emergencies,” said Shambhu Prasad Sahu, relative of a patient.
Expressing similar views, medicine shop owner Lalita Mohan Choudhury said, “As teleservice providers are facing difficulties in their operations owing to the strike, debit card swipe machines are not functioning. Moreover, we could not give medicines on credit and customers are returning empty-handed."
Apart from this, traders and tourists have also been affected in the district due to the strike.
“Most of the ATMs have been shut and the ones which are open do not have cash. For past four days, I am running from one ATM to another for cash. We are facing difficulty to get even the basic items,” Abhijit Singh, a Delhi resident said..
“Our businesses are affected as customers could not pay us. When the new year celebrations are around, they are unable to purchase anything because of the cash crunch,” echoed Pawan Kumar Agarwal, a businessman.