Demonetisation and Invisible India: This winter is going to be severely bitter for people of Tawang

This winter season is going to be severely bitter for the residents of Tawang, especially in the wake of demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes.

Tawang, Nov 18: Back in 1996, during the shoot of Bollywood blockbuster Koyal--starring Shahrukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit--picturesque Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh catapulted to national fame.

Since then tourists have never stopped visiting Tawang, known for its beautiful lakes and monasteries, even during the winter season, when temperature falls below zero degrees Celsius.

This winter season is going to be severely bitter for the residents of the town, especially in the wake of demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes.

Because of shortage of cash flow, residents have no means to buy fuels, woods and other essential items necessary to survive harsh weather conditions.

"People of Tawang are facing cash crunch, like the rest of India. But here the situation is far worse. Winter has already arrived. We have no means to buy fuels and woods as most of us have no money. During winter the requirement of coal and firewood increases manifold to keep us warm inside our houses. Tawang is also facing shortage in fuel supply and we are all worried about it," Punya Tage, a government official, told OneIndia over phone.

Tage added Tawang has very few banks and ATMs.

"The banks and ATMs don't have enough currency supply. Every day we see long queues in front of banks. Unfortunately, lucky few get to withdraw money."

The bleak weather condition in Tawang is further aggravated by "gloom" in the economy.

The residents of the township are eagerly waiting to see some "sunshine" at least in the economic front as soon as possible.

OneIndia News