Huge crowds stream into Kolkata markets for last-minute grabs

KOLKATA: Kolkatans went on a shopping spree across the length and breadth of the city on the eve of Poila Baishakh on Sunday, leaving the streets clogged and traffic crawling. While Gariahat, Hatibagan and New Market remained chock-a-block, shopping malls also saw huge turnouts and a last-minute rush to make the most of Chaitra sale discounts.



As the day progressed, crowds swelled at various markets across the city. Both young people and senior citizens jostled at the hawker stalls and big stores, bargaining for the best price. This year, the Chaitra sale discount soared to 50% or 60% at Gariahat and Hatibagan markets. One reason behind the swelling crowd was that the last day of the Bengali year happened to be a Sunday. Many people used the opportunity to combine shopping with a family outing.

“My elder sister joined me from Dum Dum for shopping. We had a nice time hopping from one shop to another at New Market,” said Rupa Sinha, a shopper.

From clothes, shoes to bags and ornaments, roadside stalls at Gariahat and Hatibagan sold almost everything and did a brisk business. “This is the last day of the Bengali year and the crowd swelled in the afternoon. We also expect a brisk business on Monday as well,” said a hawker selling clothes on Gariahat pavement.

It was not just the hawkers selling garments who remained busy. The roadside fast-food stalls, too, did brisk business. The crowd was equally huge at the market complexes with many establishments offering huge discounts to attract customers.

The crowds resulted in traffic snarls. The crossings at Hatibagan, Gariahat and several other places saw massive vehicular congestion as lakhs went out on the streets to visit their favourite market places. The pavements at Gariahat, Hatibagan and New Market were clogged. The traffic police had a trying time to keep the vehicles moving without disruption.It was not much different at the malls across the city too. Quest Mall, City Centre and South City mall saw thousands visiting stores on Chaitra Sankranti evening. The IPL encounter between Kolkata and Chennai turned out to be an added attraction for shoppers at the malls like South City, which showed the match live on a giant screen.

“We did some shopping even as we kept trooping back to the ground floor courtyard to watch the match. It was a perfect mix and we couldn’t have asked for more,” said Joydeep Sen, a resident of Tollygunge.

For others, the last day of the Bengali year was a time to catch up with friends. “It was a nice scope to meet old friends. Thankfully, it’s a Sunday and we had the entire day to relax and enjoy,” said Anima Chatterjee who had come with her friends to South City Mall from Jadavpur.