Siliguri, Aug. 18: Ever heard of a coupon that passes for money?
Jagaran Dasgupta from Guwahati had no idea either, until he was given two of these at Mahavir Bhojanalaya near Sevoke More here. Dasgupta had a meal there worth Rs 41 and was given the coupons along with notes of Rs 50 and five when he produced a 100 rupee-note to pay his bill. The hotel owner asked him to use the coupon on his next visit to the hotel or buy a paan or a cigarette from the stalls nearby.
Dasgupta, who neither smokes nor chews paan, had no use for the coupons as he was leaving for Calcutta today.
Owner of the hotel, Ramchandra Sharma, said a severe shortage of coins had hit the trade hub and for this reason hoteliers here have worked out the deal with stalls nearby.
“We have been to the banks here several times for coins but failed to procure them. With no other alternative, we initiated this credit coupon system in collaboration with the paanwalas nearby and other shopkeepers. Credit coupons issued by any of these three-four shops are valid in the other shops located nearby,” Sharma said.
He said though this unique system had reduced the problem to some extent, in most cases, flying customers refuse to accept these coupons.
“Siliguri is facing an acute crisis of coins,” admitted Mrinal K. Sarkar, the manager (Advance) of the United Bank of India’s regional office here. “The Reserve Bank of India has reduced production of smaller coins but one, two and five-rupee coins are constantly supplied to the market. We fail to understand how these coins vanish,” Sarkar said. “We heard that the coins are smuggled to Bangladesh, but for what reason, we do not know.”
Sarat Das, the chief manager of the Central Bank of India’s Hill Cart Road branch — one of the leading banks that receives coins from RBI and circulates in the market according to the demand — echoed Sarkar.
“There is no problem with the RBI as far as supply of coins is concerned. But I have also heard about the acute crisis in the market. There of one-rupee coins being sold at 50 percent premium across the border,” he said.
According to enforcement branch officials, the coins are smuggled to Bangladesh through Cooch Behar, Mathabhanga, Haldibari and Bongaon for the manufacturing of shaving blades. The arrest of two persons, carrying the coins in sacks, from a Calcutta-bound bus at Dhupguri last month, has lent credibility to their claims. Residents of Bongaon, the duo had admitted to the existence of such a racket, police officials said The coins are reportedly melted down before being cast into blades.
The inspector general of BSF’s North Bengal Frontier S. R. Tewari did not deny the possibility either. “This is quite possible. I will check the matter soon,” he said.
