After government abolished Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, the sorrows of the public started right from the morning itself.

Petrol bunks are supposed to accept the currency of the two denominations but instead they won't return the change. What indicates that if you give a Rs 500 note and asked for Rs 200 petrol worth petrol in a two-wheeler, the petrol bunk is declining to give back Rs 300 change.

Students, office-goers, traders and many people had to suffer these difficulties right from the morning on Wednesday. In fact, the milkman and the vegetable vendor too is declining to accept the Rs 500 note and are asking for the exchange the change to be given.

"A Rs 500 note is being refused bluntly and I was informed I would not get back any change," a student said.

But there are some people who are very much enjoying this announcement. It's none other than the beggars.

A survey was done in Hyderabad which stated that the 'richest beggar' earns about Rs 2000 per day.

B Shankar Narayan, general secretary of Federation of NGOs of Beggar Free Society said "such affluent beggars could be earning Rs 24 lakh a year. Small change for them is big money."

Middlemen have now got into the act and are working in Hyderabad by replacing small currency for big notes. This, of course, is being done by subtracting the certain percentage of money.

Heated discussions are taking place at many places. In one such incident, at a toll plaza at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, motorists got into a dispute with the toll plaza staff who refused to accept the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. As a result of this, a long queue of vehicles was seen at the toll plaza.

BY M. DIVYA SRI