Kochi Metro to exploit all advertisement options to generate funds

Kochi Metro plans to exploit every advertisement option to generate funds like having dedicated spaces on the metro pillars, medians and portals for advertisements in the Aluva-Maharaja’s College Ground corridor - that way it expects to rake in revenue for the operation and maintenance of the metro.
The Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) has already invited tenders from agencies who are interested in leasing out specified advertisement spaces on these structures with a view to raise revenue from non-ticketing sources.
This hs been reported in thehindu.com dated 1 March 2017.

The metro agency has laid down norms for placing advertisements, including the material to be used and all designs must be approved by the agency before they are placed within framed boards. It is not permitted to paint advertisement directly on the metro pillars.
Another source to generate finance is through advertisements on the interior and exterior of trains and in metro stations. The KMRL is short-listing banks who are interested to set up ATMs in metro stations.
Apart from advertisements, there will be vertical gardens to adorn the space on metro pillars. Every sixth pillar will be covered with a vertical garden, to enliven the corridor. Moreover, the space within the median beneath the metro viaduct will be landscaped using ornamental plants which do not need much watering.


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Demonetisation badly affects animal trade in the annual Sonpur Cattle Fair

Demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes has badly affected the annual animal trade at Asia's largest cattle fair in Sonpur, Bihar. Both the buyers and sellers are in a dilemma because of nonavailability of adequate cash after demonetization.
In fact, many of them are afraid that they would come under the lens of the taxmen if they fork out money for purchase of pure bred horses and other animals where such horses can cost upwards of Rs 3 lakh.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 19 November 2016.

The worst affected are the cow and buffalo traders because sales have dipped by more than 50 per cent owing to cash shortage. Similar is the case of sheep and horses.
A cow trader had brought more than 1,600 cows and buffaloes but, because of a cash crunch, he could sell only 200 of them. Sales are conducted by cash and not through cards. AS a prospective buyer explains - he has come from Uttar Pradesh to buy cows but, the sellers are asking to be paid in new notes. There is a cap on withdrawing money from banks and, the ATMs are almost running dry.
A horse trader says that he used to sell 30 to 40 horses every year but,this year, he managed to sell only five to 10 horses out of the 2,100 that have been brought.
There are no takers for sheep either - nearly 350 sheep and goats are lined up at the fair and, so far, only 10 have been sold.
Incidentally, the fair lost its sheen when a ban was imposed on the trade of elephants in 2015 - the ban was in the wake of a complaint registered by Union women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi. While elephant trade was the chief attraction at the fair with no less than 250 pachyderms being brought to Sonepur from across Bihar and other states, the number has dwindled to double digits over the past few years and, this year, only 15 elephants could be seen.


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Footfalls reduce in Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park in Ranchi after demonetisaton

Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park in Ormanjhi, Ranchi, is one of the top hangouts in the state for animal lovers and it is experiencing a footfall slump after the demonetisation of high-value notes like Rs 500 and Rs 1000 last week.
People are rushing to banks and ATMs and there are hardly any visitors in the zoo.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 17 November 2016.

In October the zoo had seen nearly 13,000 visitors or, roughly, which means roughly 400-450 a day. This has drastically gone down by 25-30 per cent since November 9 (a day after Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes were abolished). In the opinion of a zoo official - when all roads are leading to banks or ATMs, who will come to watch animals.
The zoo is spread over 104 hectares and boasts of 1,200-odd animals and birds across 65 species. The entry fee is Rs 30 for adults and Rs 20 for children between three and 12.
Between 2010-11 till last year, it has been regularly increasing its earnings. In 2010-11, it had generated Rs 45 lakh in revenue following a footfall close to 3 lakh. In the next financial year, it bettered the record by raking in Rs 67.25 lakh with an additional 50,000 visitors compared to 2010-11. In 2012-13, the collection was Rs 98 lakh, with the visitor turnout being 4 lakh.
In 2013-14, the zoo entered the crore club for the first time, earning Rs 1.06 crore and registering a footfall of 4.45 lakh. Last year also the revenue touched Rs 1.20 crore following a footfall of more than 4.50 lakh.


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32nd Book Fair at Rabindra Bhavan, Sakchi, badly hit by sudden demonetisation

The liquidity crunch following the sudden demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes has cast a shadow on 32nd book fair at Rabindra Bhavan, Sakchi, Jamshedpur. It has started with 70 stalls and will continue till November 20.
Unfortunately, the steel city residents, tired of standing in queues before banks, ATMs and post offices for valid currencies, do not have buying books high on their priority list.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 15 November 2016.

Book sellers who have come from Calcutta and other cities were not prepared with wads of notes in smaller denominations. Hence, they have been badly hit when Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes suddenly turned invalid and sales sales are down to a trickle. As one of the booksellers said - the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes happened at the wrong time.
On the first day only Rs 750 worth of books were sold when it is usually Rs 20,000 or more. One of the booksellers managed to arrange a card swiping device at his stall.
Many of the booksellers had paid a minimum of Rs 5,500 for a 100sqft kiosk and Rs 11,000 for a 200sqft one - but their business was down by 50 per cent this year. Most customers are standing for hours in queues before banks and ATMs because they first need cash to make their ends meet. Then only can they think of visiting a book fair.


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The new age beggars of Ajmer - they have bank accounts, ATM cards

New age beggars of Ajmer who beg outside the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti collect alms from devotees who come to visit and, in order to ensure safety of the earnings, they deposit the money in banks - sometimes on a daily basis.
It is a tradition that all devotees who come to Ajmer dargah give the beggars 'zakat' or donations and, on any lean day, a beggar can earn around Rs 200-Rs 300 and, on auspicious occasions, this can up to Rs 1,000-Rs 1,200.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 4 October 2016.

As one of the beggars has revealed - the idea of opening a bank account came to him after a drug addict attacked him with a blade and took away all his money. A kind-hearted person helped him to open a saving account.
Then there is a woman beggar who has ATM. She has an account in a nationalized bank in Ajmer and every second or third day she deposits her savings and, using her ATM card, checks the balance with the help of a guard.


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Teenagers in Jaipur take to crime to lead celebrity lifestyles

Teenagers in Jaipur have taken to crime to finance their desires to participate in in TV reality shows and become famous - they want to live a grand life as they see cine stars do. That desire is tempting them to embrace crime in a big way.
The Rajasthan police have busted a number of such gangs in past few weeks - the criminals as young as 19 have carried out robberies in the hope of laying hands on large amount of cash. Their intention is to try their lucks in Bollywood, settle in Mumbai, buy expensive clothes and live luxurious lives in metros like Delhi or Mumbai.
This has been reported timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 10 August 2016.

It seems on August 7, the Jaipur Police arrested two 19-year-old boys who tried to loot an ATM in Jhalana area. During interrogation it transpired that they came from poor families and wanted cash to take part in Bollywood auditions and, subsequently, live a celebrity lifestyle in Mumbai.
As a senior police official has explained - this is a new set of young criminals who are willing to go to any extent to pursue their celluloid dreams. hey are attracted to movies and lifestyle shows they watch on the television, and want cash to buy expensive clothes, and gadgets. Their usual targets are the ATMs which they perceive as the treasure trove of cash and many of them are first time criminals. They come to big cities like Jaipur and are exposed to modern lifestyle. Their parents think that their boys are studying in college but they carry out such heinous activities.


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ATMs of SBI run out of cash in Kendrapara

A gentleman, in urgent need of money to meet medical expenses, tried every ATM on a 8-Km stretch in Kendrapara but all the ATMs had run out of cash. He had to finally go to his bank to withdraw the money cross the counter.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 12 June 2016.

It seems this has become a common experience of many people in the state of Odisha - they keep making the rounds of ATMs to withdraw cash and discover "no cash" signs stuck outside. The daily requirement of cash in ATMs across the state is around Rs 250 crore and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is unable to meet the demands of various banks to supply the required cash. However, cash flow from RBI has now turned into a trickle - it is as low as Rs 20 crore to Rs 30 crore and this cash deficiency has hit the ATMs.
Officials of the bank are aware of the situation. There are nearly 3,000 ATMs in operation across the state and, a major portion (nearly 2400) is of SBI and most of these have run out of cash.


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Gang of ATM thieves nabbed - they had looted 14 ATMs in 18 days

It was a gang of daring ATM thieves who had robbed 14 ATMS within a period of just 18 days and siphoned way nearly one crore of rupees. The 30-year-old young man who is suspected to be the kingpin of the gang was arrested in Dhanbad, 269-Km from Calcutta as he was boarding the Rajdhani Express.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 26 May 2016.

The thefts were carried out between May 1 and May 18 in Calcutta, Barrackpore, Howrah and North 24-Parganas. It was the assembly elections when the police had been diverted to take care of poll related activities. All but two of the ATMs that had been targeted belonged to nationalised banks and none of them had guards.
Their modus operandi was to move from one location to another in a hired four-wheeler. They carried with them an oxygen cylinder, a small stove and steel-cutting equipment. One member of the gang would get off the car and pull the shutter of the ATM half down - that was to mislead anyone watching by giving an impression that the ATM was being refilled. Once inside, the man would switch off the CCTV camera. By then, the others would join him and they would split open the ATM vault with a gas cutter.


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