KENDRAPARA: Many private companies and business establishments across Kendrapara and Paradip made advance payment of salaries to their employees, in a bid to get rid of the money, after the announcement of demonetisation of `500 and `1000 currency notes.
However, the move has left the workers overwhelmed. A security guard of a hotel in Paradip was on cloud nine on Thursday after the manager of the hotel paid him an advanced salary for 12 months.
“Last month I had requested the manager to pay me `10,000 in advance for the medical expenses of my ailing father, which he flatly refused. But on Thursday, he graciously gave me an advanced one year salary amounting to `72,000,” the guard said on a condition of anonymity. Like him, other employees of the hotel also received advanced salaries for a year. Meanwhile, the age old barter system is back into business in some villages of the district after the ban on high value currency notes. Hundreds of farmers bought food items in exchange of vegetables.
“I purchased one kg of fish on Friday from a fisherman in Kharinashi village by exchanging three kgs of cauliflowers at Ramanagar haat,” said Arakhita Mandal, a vegetable grower of Jamboo village.
Even, the boatmen have agreed to ferry the villagers to cross rivers or ghats in exchange of fish, crabs and vegetables.
“Villagers gave me vegetables and fish as they have no money. I accepted the items as their ferry fees,“ said Anadi Behera, a boatman at Bahakuda Ghat under Mahakalapada block. Lack of banking facilities and non- availability of ATMs in many rural areas have forced the villagers to depend upon the exchange system.