Two years on, devotees continue to offer banned notes at Golden Temple
AMRITSAR: Though it has been over two years since the deadline for exchanging banned currency notes came to an end after demonetisation, the banned currency notes of ₹1,000 and ₹500 are still being donated in golaks (donation boxes) at Golden Temple.
The Union government, on November 8, 2016, had announced the demonetisation of all ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes.
The deadline to exchange/ deposit these notes with the banks was till March 31, 2017.
“Golaks at Golden Temple received banned currency as donation from devotees till July, 2017,” Roop Singh, chief secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), who maintained the record of the demonetised notes said.
Stock of these banned notes was worth around ₹30 lakh till July 2017, and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has refused to accept these notes despite several pleas made by the SGPC. Few days back, the SGPC has sent another letter to the governor of the RBI to accept the notes.
Meanwhile, the devotees continue to donate the demonetised notes in the golaks of the temple. Some senior officials of the SGPC told HT on the condition of anonymity that during counting of the coins and notes this week, the staff of the shrine found threefour banned notes of ₹500 and one of ₹1,000. Another official said that at present they are not maintaining any record of these notes in view of the RBI’S attitude.
“Actually, whenever people find any banned note at their place, they donate it to the shrine instead of destroying it. So, the golaks are still receiving these notes and the management cannot prevent it,” said Sukhbir Singh, a devotee.
Roop Singh holds his predecessor Harcharan Singh responsible for financial loss borne by the exchequer of the shrine due to demonetisation. “He had issued a circular to the managers of all the gurdwaras, including Golden Temple, asking them not to accept the banned currency notes on receipt counters at the shrine, despite the deadline of exchanging the notes was still pending,” he said.
At these counters, the donator is given receipt for the money one donates.
When contacted, Harcharan Singh said, “The incumbent chief secretary lacks knowledge of the financial matters. Issuing the receipts was not legal tender after the demonisation came into force. The receipts of the banned notes could not be issued as per the rules of the government. Which is why the circular was issued. However, the devotees were free to offer the banned notes in golaks and they did. The stock of banned notes which is not being accepted by the RBI, was received through golaks,” he said.