Nearly two months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the demonetization of the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, Ludhiana has started to get back on the track of normality with people coming back to view films, shopping malls and restaurants. On the other hand, factory outlets and garment shops are abuzz with customers coming in to make purchases. This has, in turn, brought smiles back on the faces of traders, many of who have fallen back on cashless solutions to facilitate shoppers.

The manager of a factory outlet on Malhar Road, Sanjiv Sood, admitted that they have had a good footfall since December 25. Earlier, the situation could be likened to black days when traders were not able to sell even a single piece of jacket. Thankfully, the sales are decent now.

Traders said when the government had scrapped the high-value notes in November, the absence of a card machine and an e-wallet were the biggest drawback for them. Many city residents are of the view that they are out shopping at this time because of the huge discounts and offers running at garment outlets.