12 Kolkata: The city’s business hub bore the bandh brunt with several businessmen opting to keep their shops and showrooms shut on Wednesday, fearing protests and clashes. Some traders did defy the bandh call and braved protests to open their shops. But with few customers turning up, business was sparse.
In Burrabazar, Posta, MG Road and Strand Road, most shops remained shut as bandh supporters forced traders to down their shutters.Businessmen said they incurred losses worth several hundred crores due to disruptions in business on back-to-back days.
For Nandalal Modi, who has a shop in Mangla Haat in Howrah and another shop in Burrabazar, it was a double blow. He “lost business worth several lakhs” as his Mangla Haat shop was shut on Tuesday due to the Nabanna march. On Wednesday, he suffered further losses as his sari shop in Burrabazar stayed shut for the better half of the day. “We have lost two business days and there is no way we can retrieve them,” rued Modi.
On Wednesday morning, several shops in central Kolkata did open but bandh supporters forced them to down their shutters. “We had to comply because we cannot risk our safety. If somebody vandalises my shop, I will have to spend lakhs to get it refurbished, apart from suspending the business till it gets restored,” said Bhajan Agarwal, who owns a sari shop.
In College Street’s Boi Para, only 15% of the shops opened on Wednesday. “We did not open our shop till 3 pm fearing clashes. But despite opening the shop, there have hardly been any customers. Only 15% of the shops have opened in Boi Para today as shop owners did not want to take any risk,” said Sumit Pandit, owner of Paradise Book Stall.
Swapan Mondal, owner of a stationary shop, shut his shop at 3 pm and headed home. “I am feeling angry and helpless. I defied the bandh and opened the shop but there were no customers. We cannot blame them as they are scared to step out,” said Mondal.
In New Market and other markets in the vicinity, the shops and showrooms opened since Wednesday morning and there were no bandh enforcers, but the business was still “less than 10%” compared to other days.
“Around 90% shop owners have not even done bohni (first sale of the day) because there are hardly any customers. Business has been sluggish for the past few days but today, it was almost zero,” said Subhankar Dey, who sells garments in SS Hogg Market.