Artificial coin shortage in private buses

by S.M. Wijayaratne, Kurunegala Cor

The shortage of coins in circulation in the country has been used by private bus conductors in the Kurunegala and Puttalam districts to exploit commuters of private buses. If passengers are unable to pay the exact bus fare with coins, the bus conductors take more than the due amount as the bus fare.

Retired Director of Education in Kurunegala K.G. Perera told the Sunday Observer that he had to pay Rs. 10 instead of two rupees as he had no coins at the time. Many bus conductors pretend that there is a severe shortage of coins in the country and exploit innocent bus passengers, taking undue advantage of this situation.

"Many goldsmiths are reported to be melting coins to manufacture ornaments.

"Many pilgrims donate coins at places of worship in the country and put coins into charity boxes at those places. Some elders as well as children keep tills at their homes and deposit coins in them for years.

"Those are the causes for the present shortage of coins in the country," Assistant Manager of People's Bank, Hettipola branch in Kurunegala S.M. Champika Wijayaratne told the Sunday Observer.

"We appeal to the public not to keep coins in tills for years unnecessarily. Please come and deposit them in our banks for circulation island-wide," he said.