Shuvo Paul, POBNEWS24, kolkata Feb 14, 2025 : At the beginning of the new year, due to the lack of Bangladeshi tourists in the New Market area, known as Kolkata’s Mini Bangladesh, various shops, from restaurants to hotels, are closing down. Almost all the small and large traders in the New Market area, including Kid Street, Royd Street, Sadar Street, Free School Street, Colin Lane, Totti Lane, Marquis Street, are dependent on Bangladeshi tourists.
Traders say that the situation started getting worse little by little since July last year. In February this year, the situation went from bad to very bad. The business of traders in this area has practically hit rock bottom for six consecutive months. In this situation, some have closed their businesses, some are thinking of closing them. Even during the Corona pandemic, the situation in this mini Bangladesh in Kolkata has not been so bad.
Those who used to sell mobile SIM cards to get tables in important places in the New Market area are also struggling due to the lack of Bangladeshi tourists. From hand-pulled rickshaws to fruit stalls at the crossroads – everyone is in the same situation.
On the other hand, several currency exchange shops have closed. The few currency shops that do exist are also facing closure. Moreover, the number of bus passengers on the Kolkata-Dhaka route has also come down to the bottom. Where there used to be 30 to 35 buses plying every day, it has come down to 5 to 10.
A well-known food hotel in New Market is ‘Dhansiri Restaurant’. A few months ago, an average of three hundred Bangladeshi tourists used to come here every day. The hotel staff did not get a chance to catch their breath. Now the hotel is practically killing flies. Only 20-25 people come to eat at this hotel every day.
Hotel staff Ashok Majumdar said that they have been in this hotel business for 15 years. The business has had many ups and downs. Later, the situation normalized. But this time, it seems that it will not be normalized very easily.
He also said that this place is more dependent on Bangladeshi tourists. Now there are almost no Bangladeshi tourists. So we have to cook less. Earlier, at least 300 Bangladeshi tourists used to come to our hotel for dinner every day, now there are 20-25. If this continues, there is no other option but to close the hotel business.
Bangladeshi tourists actually buy their favorite Kashmiri shawls (chadars) in the New Market area. They would give these clothes as gifts to their relatives when they return home. That Kashmiri shawl shop is also facing closure due to the lack of Bangladeshi tourists.
Nisar Ahmed Khan, a resident of Srinagar, has a Kashmiri shawl shop on Marquis Street. His shop called ‘Kashmir Art Bazaar’ has been running on rent for the last 25 years. For the last eight years, his son Muhammad Taleb has taken over the family business. They went through a difficult time due to Corona a few years ago. Even though it affected India and the whole world, they never had to think about closing the business. But now they have to think about that due to the lack of Bangladeshi tourists.
Muhammad Taleb, a 25-year-old graduate, said that the citizens coming from Bangladesh are mainly coming on medical visas. When they return home after undergoing treatment, they only buy if they have money in their hands. It is difficult to run a business based on such customers.
He said that the coldness between the two countries after the change in the political situation in Bangladesh on August 5 last year has created a situation where they have decided to stop the business they have been running for the last two and a half decades and return to Kashmir. In the meantime, they have had to close a shop in New Market.
Currently, Taleb has to pay Rs 90,000 a month for this shop. But recently, there have been many days when he has not been able to buy and sell due to lack of buyers. As a result, if this continues, there will be no other option but to close the shop and go to the valley and work in a shawl shop, Taleb said.
