Kolkata: Thousands across Kolkata rushed to liquor shops on Saturday, forming long queues as they tried to buy alcohol before the 6 pm election shutdown.
Anxiety and urgency marked the city's liquor outlets as long queues formed outside off-shops, with buyers queueing up before the shops opened. Bars, too, stopped serving after a brief ‘window' that had allowed liquor from Friday morning to Saturday 6 pm.
From early morning, off-shops along Central Avenue, Waterloo Street, Ganesh Chandra Avenue, Sarat Bose Road and Kasba, along with other parts of Kolkata, saw serpentine queues, echoing Friday's heavy turnout but with more sense of urgency. With sales restricted later in the evening, many customers said they were unwilling to take chances after the abrupt four-day closure last week.
"I came around 9 am thinking I was early, but there were already at least 15 people ahead of me," said Anirban Roy, a private tutor waiting outside an off-shop on Ganesh Chandra Avenue. "I picked up two bottles yesterday but that will only suffice for the weekend. Today I will purchase two more bottles."
At several locations, customers clutched umbrellas as temperature rose as the day progressed. Despite the discomfort, queues remained largely orderly, with many mindful that any disruption could lead to shutters coming down early.
In a store inside a mall in Kasba, the queue grew bigger by noon. "It is very hot outside so I decided to wait in the AC inside the mall," said a buyer who did not wish to be named.
Some buyers said they had coordinated with friends or colleagues to stand in multiple queues. "We are taking turns," said Souvik Mitra, a sales executive. "I finished one purchase and sent a friend to another shop as there is a two-bottle cap."
Shop owners described the day as more hectic than Friday, with demand peaking sharply after midday. While smaller outlets began running out of stock by early afternoon, larger establishments managed to replenish supplies from their own godowns.
Footfalls dropped to just 15% at Songhai in central Kolkata. "It could get worse as the polling day approaches," said owner Sudesh Poddar.
Customers trickled into some Park Street restaurants on Saturday evening. "We had a good crowd for lunch and some bookings in the evening. Without alcohol, Saturday evenings are dull. But we expect a higher footfall on Sunday when families go out for dinner," said Pratap Daryanani, owner of Oasis.
"By 2 pm, we exhausted most of our regular stock," said an employee at Kasba Wines. At a store near Central Avenue, the owner said customers were less selective and more focused on availability. "People are picking whatever is left. The priority is to get something before the deadline," said an employee.
As the clock inched closer to 6 pm, the queues showed little sign of thinning, reflecting both pent-up demand and apprehension over the impending shutdown.