A deserted shopping hub. Tweaked rosters for support staff in gated complexes. Curtailed menus at restaurants.
The rural polls affected life in Kolkata in more than one way.
On Friday, this newspaper reported how several caregivers and domestic workers will be off duty to cast their votes. On Saturday, The Telegraph took a tour of the city to find out what more was missing in the city for the village vote.
Hawkers
Gariahat bore an almost deserted look as the majority of the hawkers kept their stalls closed on Saturday.
Shaktiman Ghosh, a hawker leader, said many hawkers, especially in the south and southeastern suburbs live in rural areas that voted on Saturday.
The impact of panchayat polls on New Market hawkers was minimal as most of them were either from the locality or from Bihar and Jharkhand, said a hawker leader.
Closed hawkers’ stalls in Gariahat. Sanat Kr Sinha, Bishwarup Dutta
Restaurants
The kitchen and service departments of many restaurants were emptier on Saturday.
Shiladitya Chaudhury, the owner of Chapter 2 and Oudh 1590, which has 13 outlets, said he was managing with a skeletal staff.
“We have around 600 employees. More than 200, from the districts, were off today,” said.
To manage the shortfall, the outlets had curtailed the menu.
Sudesh Poddar, president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern India and the owner of Manthan, Songhai and MS Bar and Lounge, said the staff shortage ranged from “15 to 20 per cent” at most restaurants.
Transport
There were fewer buses and app cabs on the roads. About 40 per cent of app cabs were on the road on Saturday, said Indranil Banerjee of app cab operators guild.
Drivers having homes in the districts had gone to cast their votes. “We have to cast our vote. Otherwise, we are marked by political parties,” a driver off-duty said over the phone.
The secretary of the Joint Council of Bus Syndicates, Tapan Banerjee, said many bus drivers from areas like Amtala, Pailan, Bhangar, and the interiors of New Town were absent.
“Already 80 per cent of the existing buses were requisitioned. But today many staff and drivers did not turn up for duty,” Banerjee said.
A deserted JL Nehru Road. Sanat Kr Sinha, Bishwarup Dutta
Support staff
Several gated communities had to tweak their rosters to make up for their housekeeping staff and security guards taking leave on Saturday.
Manoj Gupta of South City on Prince Anwar Shah Road said many of their housekeeping staff, gardeners and security personnel were granted paid leave so they could go to their hometowns.
Joydeep Banerjee of South City Garden on BL Saha Road said they had prepared a roster tweaking duty hours of security personnel and support staff to ensure that all who had their votes on Saturday could exercise their rights.
A facility management company usually has over 1,000 people on its payroll. On Saturday, more than 200 people were off.
“Most of them had applied for a leave,” said Gunnu Ahluwalia, director, Kolkata Response Group, which supplies manpower to offices, malls, schools, industrial units and warehouses.
A section of gig workers was also off on Saturday, though the number was not enough to trouble Kolkatans.
An official of an online home services platform said around 1,900 workers are enrolled with the company in Kolkata.
“Around 200-odd were absent on Saturday,” he said.
Small business
Many shops in pockets of central Kolkata remained closed.
“Many optical shops, including mine, were closed as employees had taken leave,” said Rameez Rakib, owner of Jhilmil Eye Care, a spectacle shop on BB Ganguly Street.
Most of the fast food shops and pice hotels on Sector V’s pavements were also shut.