Bhubaneswar, June 25: Small change is newly being coined as “candy” in the city.

For Kali Charan Barik, a resident of Bhubaneswar who visits Cuttack every day for studies, candies have become the alternative for small change as conductors of city buses invariably give him the sweets instead of the coins.

“Sometimes the conductor jots down the balance on the reverse of the ticket and says it will be adjusted the next time I take the same bus,” said Barik.

Barik isn’t alone. Many others, including small-time vendors, are facing an acute shortage of coins in the city. Whether you visit a daily vegetable market, shops selling mobile recharge coupons, or malls you will be offered candy instead of coins irrespective of whether you have a sweet tooth or not.

Even branded outlets will hand you candy instead of short change when they owe you a balance of say Re 1 or Rs 2.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Bhubaneswar, distributes coins worth Rs 3 lakh on a daily basis through a dedicated counter and two vending machines. But there is a huge gap between demand and supply.

The shortage of small change has also led to a spurt in the business of coins in the city. Brokers will give shopkeepers and others in need of small change coins worth Rs 80 and Rs 85 in exchange for Rs 100 notes. The shortage of coins has especially hit small-time vendors.

“I cannot afford to stand in a queue and get coins as I manage my business alone. I’d rather spend some extra bucks to obtain small change from brokers,” said Sarat Behera, a beetle shop owner in Vani Vihar. Sources in the RBI said the real problem lay with the distribution channels.

“RBI has been providing sufficient coins to the currency chests operating through banks. But these banks often fail to distribute the coins, which leads to the shortage,” said an official. On the other hand, traders of the city alleged that the RBI and other banks were responsible for the coin shortage.

“Most of the banks deny us coins as they prefer to distribute the coins to mall owners. The RBI used to organise coin melas in the city. But they have stopped doing so, adding to our woes,” said general secretary of Rajdhani Dainik Haat Byabasayi Mahasangha Gayadhar Swain. A member of the Reserve Bank Employees’ Association, Bhubaneswar, said customers should get sufficient coins.

“We have been demanding that the city residents should get sufficient small change. We have also staged demonstrations in the past in the interest of the general public,” said secretary of the association Nanda Kishore Das.

With coins in short supply, consumers are often forced to return empty-handed when they fail to tender the exact price.

“Autorickshaws always ask for small change before picking you up. If you don’t have any change, they simply refuse to take you in,” said Binayak Mohapatra, a corporate employee.