Kolkata: A crackdown on hotels and guest houses following the fire at Shikha Inn that claimed nine lives has dealt another blow to the fragile economy of central Kolkata’s “Mini Bangladesh” looking for a turnaround, as rows of budget accommodations were forced to shut down for allegedly violating safety norms. .As the administration intensified safety checks, the drive put brakes on commercial activities in the Free School Street-Marquis Street belt, a cluster that depends heavily on visitors from Bangladesh. While traders acknowledged the need for fire and building safety compliance, they urged the authorities to ensure the enforcement did not destroy their businesses, striving for a recovery.For an area, estimated to generate nearly Rs 3 crore in daily turnover, the disruption has come at a particularly difficult time. Traders said the neighbourhood had only recently begun to recover from a prolonged downturn, caused by political unrest in Bangladesh and the suspension of visas. The recovery had been tentative. Daily footfall by Bangladeshi visitors, which traders said was earlier around 8,000, had begun to rise but was still only around 1,000 a day. “We had finally begun to see some hope after two extremely difficult years. People had again invested money in renovating their hotels, replenishing stock, and hiring helping hands. This sudden crackdown will severely hit local economy,” said Hyder Ali Khan, general secretary of Free School Street Traders’ Association.The impact is already visible on these streets, which are flanked by eateries and retail outlets. Establishments that had begun preparing for a rise in visitors are once again facing empty premises. Traders said the impact of the hotel closures would extend well beyond the hospitality sector. “The entire ecosystem of Free School Street and Marquis Street depends heavily on cross-border visitors. Transport operators, budget lodges, eateries and small-time retailers depend on this flow of people,” said Monotosh Kumar Saha, president of Free School Street Traders’ Association.Among those worried is Santosh Singh, secretary of a luxury taxi association, who pointed out that the recent economic recovery, albeit tentative, had also started to revive employment as businesses begun rehiring workers and replenishing stocks. “Livelihood of hotel staffers, small-time traders, money changers and even rickshaw-pullers are directly dependent on tourists from Bangladesh,” said Singh. “Now, with many hotels shut, visitors have nowhere affordable to stay.”The impact is immediate for restaurants and eateries in the area. “Our eatery is dependent on Bangladeshi visitors as we hardly get any other customer. As most hotels here don’t have a kitchen, the guests eat here,” said Shadab Ali, owner of Nawab Restaurant. “For two years, the political situation in Bangladesh had a bad spell on our business and the scene had improved only recently. Now, the tables are likely to go empty again.”The medical retail trade in the neighbourhood is also feeling the strain as this area is the base for Bangladeshi patients, seeking treatment at health facilities in the city. “Such patients buy medicines in bulk,” said Abhijit De, a medical store owner on Marquis Street. “If hotels are shut, such visitors will not stay here or curtail their stays and our sales will drop.”
