The Free School Street and Marquis Street area adjacent to New Market in Kolkata has long been a popular destination for Bangladeshi tourists, known as ‘Mini Bangladesh’. It was bustling with low-cost hotels, food, medical services and transport facilities. However, since the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government and the political unrest in Bangladesh, the area has been severely affected. The business loss in a year has exceeded one thousand crore rupees. Due to the lack of tourists, various businesses including hotels, restaurants, money exchanges are closing down and many people have become unemployed.
Located between Free School Street and Marquis Street near New Market in Kolkata, ‘Mini Bangladesh’ has long been a favorite destination for Bangladeshi tourists. The area has become a center of attraction for tourists due to its low-cost hotels, food prepared with the taste of Upper Bengal, proximity to a large railway station and bus terminal, and medical facilities.
Just a year ago, this area was a small but bustling center for the city’s food, hotel, and foreign exchange business. But after the political unrest in Bangladesh began and the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government, this area has been severely damaged. The number of Bangladeshi tourists has almost dropped to zero. Even after a year, the impact of that shock has not subsided. The loss has exceeded one thousand crore rupees.
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But now that familiar bustle is gone. The once bustling streets that were full of tourists are now largely deserted. According to various business organizations, the loss in this area in the past one year has been more than one thousand crore rupees. However, many say the actual damage could be much greater.
Free School Street Traders Association General Secretary Haider Ali Khan said,
‘হোটেল, রেস্তোরাঁ, দোকানপাট, ট্রাভেল এজেন্ট, মানি এক্সচেঞ্জ, চিকিৎসা ও যাতায়াত—সব মিলিয়ে প্রতিদিন প্রায় ৩ কোটি রুপির ব্যবসা হতো। নিউ মার্কেট ও বুররাবাজার এলাকাও ধরলে মোট ক্ষতি ৫ হাজার কোটি রুপি ছাড়িয়ে যাবে।’
Translation: “Hotels, restaurants, shops, travel agents, money exchange, medical treatment and transportation – all together, used to do business worth about Rs 3 crore every day. If the New Market and Burrabazar areas are also included, the total loss will exceed Rs 5,000 crore.”
Many businesses in the area have already closed. Some businesses are now surviving by relying on locals. Prabir Biswas, manager of a travel agency on Marquis Street, said,
‘এক বছর আগেও একসঙ্গে অনেকগুলো বাসে পর্যটক আসত, গাড়ি রাখার জায়গা পাওয়াই যেত না। এখন অনেক দিন পার হয়ে যায়, একটা পর্যটকও দেখা যায় না।’
Translation: “Even a year ago, many buses of tourists would come at once, and there would be no parking space. Now, after many days, not a single tourist is seen.”
Most affected:
- Food shops
- Money exchanges
- Homestay businesses
Money exchange businesses dealing in Bangladeshi taka have now almost completely closed. Mohammed Intezar, secretary of the Marquis Street Currency Exchangers Association, said,
‘আমরা এখন টিকে থাকতেই পারছি না। পুরো ব্যবসাটাই বাংলাদেশি পর্যটকদের ওপর নির্ভরশীল ছিল।’
Translation: “We can’t survive now. The entire business was dependent on Bangladeshi tourists.”
Traders claim that about 40 percent of small and medium-sized restaurants in this area have already closed. Large restaurants are also operating with very limited income. NC Bhowmik, owner of Radhuni Restaurant, said,
‘ব্যবসা ২০ শতাংশে নেমে এসেছে। বেশিরভাগের পক্ষে চালানো কঠিন হয়ে পড়েছে। কোনোভাবে টিকে আছি, পরিস্থিতি ভালো হওয়ার অপেক্ষায়।’
Translation: “Business has dropped to 20 percent. It has become difficult for most to operate. We are somehow surviving, waiting for the situation to improve.”
Dhaka’s political unrest was another major setback for businesses in the area, which had already suffered a major setback during the Covid pandemic. The younger brother of the owner of a popular restaurant on Marquis Street said,
‘করোনার পর মনে করেছিলাম ব্যবসা আবার চাঙা হবে। তাই অনেকে বড় করে বিনিয়োগ করেছিলেন, আমরাও ঋণ নিয়ে দোকান সংস্কার করেছিলাম।’
Translation: “After Corona, I thought business would pick up again. So many people invested heavily, and we also took out loans to renovate the shop.”
He further said,
‘এই রাজনৈতিক ঝামেলার আগে পর্যন্ত ব্যবসা ভালোই চলছিল। কিন্তু এখন অবস্থা খুবই খারাপ। দাদা মানসিক চাপে অসুস্থ হয়ে পড়েছেন। প্রতি মাসে ১.৫ লাখ রুপি ঋণের কিস্তি দিতে হচ্ছে, অথচ আয় বলতে গেলে কিছুই নেই।’
Translation: “Before this political trouble, the business was doing well. But now the situation is very bad. Dada has become ill due to mental stress. He has to pay a loan installment of Rs 1.5 lakh every month, but there is no income to speak of.”
Beyond the big businesses, small unorganized economic activities that grew around tourists have also collapsed, such as home-cooked food delivery, homestays, tour guiding, etc. Hundreds of people in the area who used to work as hotel staff, cooks, drivers, or shop assistants are now unemployed or in extreme uncertainty.
Elliot Road resident Farhan Rasool said,
‘করোনার পরে যখন চাহিদা বেড়ে গেল, তখন আমি দুটো গাড়ি কিনেছিলাম। তখন এত ভালো চলত যে অনেক সময় কাস্টমার ফিরিয়ে দিতে হতো। এখন মাসে পাঁচ-ছয়টা বুকিংও হয় না—তাও সব লোকাল, যারা ঠিকমতো ভাড়াও দিতে চায় না। অথচ গাড়ির কিস্তি চালিয়ে যেতে হচ্ছে।’
Translation: “When demand increased after Corona, I bought two cars. Back then, things were going so well that I often had to turn away customers. Now, I don’t even get five or six bookings a month—and that’s all from locals who don’t even want to pay the rent properly. Yet I have to continue paying the car installments.”
source: TBS
