Misti Hub, which brings sweets from multiple makers under a roof in New Town, finally reopened on Monday. Though only seven of the 11 outlets have opened shutters, residents are more than happy to see the confectionery address back in business.
Tanima Ray, a resident of Action Area II, walked in the very first day. “I was on my way to meet my grandparents near Chinar Park when I noticed the lights at Misti Hub on. My grandparents are big fans of north Calcutta sweets and so we picked some up for them,” she said.
“I’m so glad this place has opened again. It gives a feeling that things are getting back to the normal.”
Harsha Jain and her friends had come to New Town for a long drive from Salt Lake’s AE Block. “We stopped for snacks at Dhaba Ekante and dropped by when we heard Misti Hub would be opening today itself. We’ve packed sweets for home,” she smiled.
Misti Hub had opened in 2018 and boasts of some of the best-known brands from across the state. It attracts bulk orders from offices in Salt Lake, Rajarhat and New Town. Apart from online orders placed on Zomato and Swiggy, passers-by would make for a good crowd in terms of sales. Another avenue for business was air travellers who would pick up sweets from here before rushing to catch a flight at the nearby airport.
During the pandemic, the state government had allowed sweet shops to reopen in June, but it is only now that Misti Hub has opened.
“Each stall here is manned by three people. Plus there are cleaners, caretakers and security personnel deputed at all hours. This amounts to a headcount of almost 40 people apart from customers. This is one of the reasons we were closed till now,” explained Suprabhaat Dey, owner of Nabakrishna Guin.
While people seemed reluctant to step out initially, Dey said that he was hoping that business would look up soon.
“We know sales will take time to pick up after such a pandemic. They are lower than what they used to be but we are keeping our fingers crossed,” said Sandeep Basu, of Banchharam.
A steady stream of customers flowed in on Day One Sourced by the Telegraph
Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco), that runs the hub, has set aside several safety protocols. No more than 10 people can be inside the building at a time, the porch will not be allowed for casual photography and the benches will be cross-marked in a way that people maintain social distancing.
Everyone entering the hub will be given sanitisers and will have their temperatures checked. No one will be allowed to linger for more than 10 minutes inside Misti Hub.
The hub is operational from noon to 8pm but Rahul Chowrasia of Ganguraam said they had requested the authorities to allow longer hours. “Sweet shops have a fixed customer base that walks in during the wee hours looking for kochuri-jilipi-samosa. If we open at noon, we miss out on that breakfast crowd. I hope we are granted permission to open early and stay open till late.”
A chunk of the business at Misti Hub used to come from Eco Park but that is still closed to the public.
The stall owners have also requested Hidco for a waiver for rent for the last six months as there was no business. No decision has been taken on this issue.
“About 100 people dropped in on the first day. But that was a Sunday. Monday to Thursday the crowd is usually less and it is on weekends that footfall is highest. About 50 people came between Monday and Wednesday thereafter,” said an official.
