Demonetisation fails to dampen Sankranti spirit

Tirupati: Sankranti spirit was palpable everywhere in the pilgrim city with the simmering Bhogi bonfire on the streets, green mango leave festoons hanging across thresholds, kites dotting the skyline and markets packed with people making last minute purchases for the three-day festival.

Huge rangolis drawn at the court yards added colour to the festivities that started on Friday.

Markets, garments and sweet shops in the city, were packed with denizens since last two days while the vendors selling vegetables, fruits and flowers had a brisk business.

The festive spirit also gripped towns like Madanapalle, Srikalahasthi, Puttur, Palamaner and Nagari besides villages across the district.

Easing of cash crunch and RBI allowing banks to increase the amount to be withdrawn from ATM to Rs 4500 coupled with the Rs 500 notes coming into the circulation came handy and people stated celebrating the three-day festival exuberantly.

Apart from these factors the steep fall in prices of vegetables with most being sold between Rs 10 and 20 per kg coupled with the nose diving of the prices of pulses boosted the festive mood. However, it was dampened to an extent as price of flowers and fruits doubled.

Kesavulu, a 60-year-old vegetable trader said unlike the previous Sankranti festivals during which the prices of vegetables shoot up souring the festive spirit, this time around they have fallen down spicing up the celebrations.

Gandhi Road, Bazaar Street, VV Mahal Road and Theertha Katta Street and other commercial areas of the city are brimming with shoppers.

It is needless to say that the small traders are happy as the business picking up.“Couple of days ago, out business was below average but it has now increased by 30 to 40 per cent,” noted Ramakrishna Goud a trader in LB Nagar.