The political unrest in Bangladesh has severely impacted Kolkata's traders, with over 500 businessmen facing significant losses due to the decline in Bangladeshi customers. The collapse of the Bangladeshi government has halted the influx of Bangladeshi visitors to Kolkata, affecting various businesses dependent on their patronage.
Their business had been declining for the past 15 days, but since Monday, after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left the country and the government collapsed, Kolkata businessmen have been experiencing huge losses.
Many people who come to Kolkata from Bangladesh live in Marquise Street, Kyd Street, Esplanade, and the Newmarket area. Since Bangladeshis prefer to stay in these areas whenever they visit Kolkata, traders here are completely dependent on Bangladeshi citizens for their livelihood. From foreign currency exchange centers to travel agencies, visa assistance centers, and bus, train, and flight ticket booking agencies, as well as hotels, restaurants, and various small to large businesses, have sprung up in every corner of these particular areas.
Apart from tourists, numerous people from Bangladesh come to Kolkata for medical treatment. However, since the protests started in Bangladesh, the number of Bangladeshis traveling to Kolkata has decreased, causing businessmen in these areas to suffer from the economic downturn.
Since the government collapsed in Bangladesh, Bangladeshi people have almost stopped coming to Kolkata. Bangladeshi citizens who had already made appointments with doctors in Kolkata have been canceled in the last few days. Several hospitals in Mukundapur, Kolkata, which completely depend on Bangladeshi patients, are also suffering from a lack of patients.
Suhail Akhter Qureshi, the owner of a renowned travel agency in Kolkata, told India Today, "Our business was going bad for the last 15-20 days, but since yesterday, we are sitting in an empty shop because no customers are coming to book any tickets. The train between Kolkata and Dhaka was suspended, and flight operations were also suspended. Our business is losing because of this political unrest in Bangladesh”.
Asif Iqbal, a forex trader in Kolkata, told India Today, "Since the rate of the Bangladeshi currency has fallen from 72 to 68, we are facing huge losses in the forex business. We have never faced this significant a loss in forex trade in recent times”.
Shiv Kant Choudhary, a hotel and restaurant owner, told India Today, "We mainly rely on Bangladeshis for business in this area, but our hotels have been completely empty for the past few days as all those who booked rooms in advance have canceled. The streets that used to be so crowded are now almost empty”.
Like almost everyone else, these Kolkata businessmen are hoping the situation in Bangladesh returns to normal soon so that they can resume their trade depending on Bangladeshi citizens in Kolkata.
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