Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 19: A vehicle loaded with sacks containing Rs 10 coins parked in front of the showroom of a car dealer in Salem in Tamil Nadu. The staff members at the showroom were first curious and then shocked when they learnt that the intent for the vehicles arrival was to buy a car only with Rs 10 coins.
The car dealer was initially reluctant but later had to give in. The Rs 10 coins are legal tenders and no one can refuse to accept them. The person wanted to buy a car worth about Rs six lakhs. The dealer had to put in all his staff to count the coins and it took them over four hours to count the heap of coins before handing over the car keys to the strange buyer.
The reason for the youth’s insistence to buy the car only with Rs 10 coins was equally baffling. He claimed that his intention behind buying the car only with coins was to create an “awareness” among the people that Rs 10 coins are no rubbish but are valuable money.
The 25-year R. Vettrivel, who runs a play school, is from Harur in Dharmapuri district. He claimed that he had seen in the shop run by his mother that many people were reluctant to accept Rs 10 coins. He said he had also seen some children playing with Rs 10 coins as if they are of no value. Hence he decided to buy a car only with Rs 10 coins to show to the people that the coins are no playthings and can fetch even a car.
Vettrivel spent nearly a month collecting Rs 10 coins worth Rs 6 lakh to buy the car. I approached various banks in the past one month and got the coins for ₹6 lakhs and paid for the car. The ten rupee coins are valid and the Reserve Bank also confirmed it,” he added.
“My mother runs a shop and the coins are at home only. No one is ready to accept the coins. Even in banks, they are not ready to accept claiming that there are not many people to count them. When the RBI has not said that the coins are worthless, why aren’t banks accepting them? Even if we complain, no action is taken,” Vettrivel said.
He took help from his relatives to load and carry the sacks containing the coins in the vehicle and to the showroom where they were all counted and, finally, the vehicle keys were handed over to him.
There, however, was a catch in the deal. Since only up to Rs two lakhs are allowed to be paid in cash in any large deal, the showroom accepted coins up to the maximum and asked the buyer to convert the remaining into bank cheque.
Last month, another buyer, also in Tamil Nadu, had purchased a motorbike worth about Rs 1.50 lakhs only with Rs one coins.
