Man on the street

For Md. Ehsan, whose mother is admitted to SCB, meeting daily expenses has become difficult following the ban.

Though the 42-year-old tailor from New Delhi is carrying cash worth nearly Rs 10,000, he cannot use them.

"It is only three days that I am in Cuttack and the ban was imposed yesterday. Had I known, I would have brought small currency notes," said Ehsan. He claimed that though the medicine stores on the SCB Medical College and Hospital campus are accepting scrapped notes, he is facing problems in paying food bills in hotels and roadside eateries outside the campus.

"Today, I have asked one of my relatives to send me some money that I can use," Ehsan said.

Not only Ehsan, but also kin of those undergoing treatment at SCB Medical College and Hsopital are battling similar problems.

"The owner of the restaurant where I had lunch refused to give me any change for Rs 500 and instead kept it as deposit. He issued me a slip so that we can have food for the second time," said Nabaghan Pal, another attendant from Jajpur. His ordeal didn't end there.

With only a Rs 500 note in hand, he went to buy two bottles of water.

"Though the shopkeeper refused to give me any change, a man standing near the shop offered to give me Rs 400 in exchange of Rs 500," he said.

Airport

The ban didn't have much effect on fliers at the Biju Patnaik International Airport, as most preferred cashless transactions. A state-level swimmer Iswar Prasad Barik, who was travelling to Hyderabad on Thursday, said that the Centre's demonetisations move did not affect him.

"My ticket was booked online about a month back and I had opted for meal in the flight. I am also not carrying much cash, as I prefer cashless transactions. I bought a burger at the airport with my debit card, so, it is not much of a problem for me," said Barik, a Sambalpur resident.

"I don't know what impact the decision would have on stemming black money, but I hope this would encourage the practice of cashless transaction. People should know the benefits. It is always good and safe. I must say that I didn't face any problem because of the ban," the swimmer said.

Hospital

Most hospitals and pharmacies accepted the scrapped denominations, but a few retail shops in Bhubaneswar showed reluctance. A student of Rama Devi Women's University, who had visited one of the corporate hospitals on Thursday, said: "One of my friends in the hostel had a serious headache this morning. As her condition deteriorated, we took her to one of the private hospitals here. We had to register by paying Rs 650. I was a little iffy as I had a thousand rupee note, but to my relief, they accepted it," said 21-year-old Yasoda Mahanta.

She said that the pharmacy on the hospital premises also accepted the Rs 500 note she offered.

"After a preliminary treatment, the doctors discharged her. I borrowed money from my friend and went to the pharmacy and gave them a Rs 500 note. They also accepted it," said Mahanta, a Plus Three second year student at Rama Devi Women's University.

Railway station

Passengers at the city railway station, too, didn't face much problem.

Twenty-two-year-old Bebina Hati, who arrived in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday with her family on a tour, didn't face any problem at the station, but faced it once they stepped out. They faced difficulties to move into a hotel, as they refused to accept the scrapped denominations.

"We arrived here last night. Although there were no problems at the station, we had to move from one hotel to another till late at night to get a room as many refused to accept Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. Finally, we had to use our card to get it done," said Hati.