Did use of indelible ink reduce queues at banks? Yes, say TOI readers

NEW DELHI: TOI readers have given a big thumbs-up to government's decision to use indelible ink mark as a method to weed out customers queuing up again and again to exchange invalid currency notes.
Banks on Wednesday started applying indelible ink mark on the right hand index finger of customers in the select metro cities to stop repeat money exchangers thronging banks with invalid currency notes.
Within hours of its introduction, TOI.in conducted an online poll to find out if our readers feel this initiative actually made a difference and shortened the queues in banks. We asked the question: Do you think the use of indelible ink shortened the queues outside banks today? The options given were: Yes, No and Can't say.
And the overwhelming response of the readers suggest that the otherwise serpentine queues outside banks shortened on Wednesday after the newly introduced move.
On Twitter, 71 per cent of voters responded in affirmative, agreeing that the indelible ink mark actually managed to shorten the queues. Only 19 per cent felt that it made no difference to the never-ending lines.
The same poll was also run on our sister publication 'Navbharat Times' and it gave similar results. While 66% of our readers agreed that the queues were shorter on Wednesday, just 23% felt that the length of the queues were not affected by the move.

On Google, the poll results fell in line too. While only 29% answered with a "No", 63% of the voters responded with "Yes", suggesting that the queues were indeed shorter.
The verdict given by our readers on Facebook was also the same. 78 per cent of the readers agreed and said 'Yes', while only 14 per cent thought it made no difference.
News agency PTI also reported today that queues at some branches in the metros cities were seen slightly shorter for exchange of old currencies as the process of putting indelible ink has started from yesterday.