Even as the nation deliberates the verdict on a six-decade-old dispute, Gopal Das, a tea seller at Dalhousie, that houses a large number of banks among other offices in the central business district of Kolkata, is not sure of the reason behind the mass exodus of office workers after lunch.
The verdict, which the country waited for with bated breath, is out. But like Das, most small shop owners in the area are not as much interested in the happenings at Ayodhya, as much as in their daily sales.
“Who cares what is happening there. Now, the case will be hung in Supreme Court for the next 10 years,” says J P Chaurasia, a shop owner. But around him, banks remained closed on account of half-yearly closing day and the streets wore a deserted look as fear psychosis kept many away from roads at around the verdict hour.
Gopal Mondol, a small eatery owner in the office area, has kept his shop open at wee hours of the evening. “I have no idea why so few people turned up today. It must be due to bank closing day,” says Mondol, unaware and aloof of court verdicts on temples or mosques. Even IT companies, which are generally open even during bandhs, closed early.
“As a precautionary measure, information technology (IT) companies like IBM, Wipro, Genpact and PricewaterHouse Coopers declared an early end to the work day. Most employees were sent home by 2 pm,” said Kalyan Kar, vice-president of the Sector V Industries Forum. “Also, home drops were arranged for female workers at the day shift and for the evening shift, they were asked not to come today-work was shared by male colleagues. We expect things to go back to normal tomorrow,” he added.
Surface transport in the city also took a hit. The Bus Owners' Syndicate and other unions, which represent over 6,500 buses that ply in Kolkata and its suburbs, said that ridership was between 25-30 per cent less than the usual.