The hospitality sector was stunned by the sudden extension of liquor restrictions for the elections, with industry stakeholders questioning the rationale behind the move and fearing steep financial losses.
“The industry stands to lose around ₹1,000 crore in nine-and-a-half days. It will have a cascading effect on people employed in the sector,” said Sudesh Poddar, president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Eastern India.
The owner of a central Calcutta bar that briefly opened on Monday was surprised and enraged over the decision. “I was in two minds about who to vote for in this election. Now, I know who to vote against,” he said. “There seems to be no basis for enforcing a ban for so many days. It seems whimsical, almost like it is meant to deprive the state of revenue.”
‘Dry day’ and ‘Bar closed’ notices pasted outside restaurants on Park Street on Monday evening
Anand Puri, owner of Trincas, was more cautious. “It is an unexpected setback. But you have to take it in your stride. We will have to be prepared with food and music,” he said.
Chandan Roy Choudhury, secretary of the Calcutta Rowing Club, said the order was unprecedented in his experience. “I have been the secretary for the club for two decades and a member for much longer. I have never seen such an order. It is very surprising and will cause losses for all of us,” he said.
The impact was also felt by stores. The owner of a liquor shop on Diamond Harbour Road said he had to send two of three employees home. “I cannot pay them full salaries. I will pay what I can, but there is no point asking them to come if the store is shut,” he said.
In Dalhousie, a Dum Dum resident unaware of the extension of restrictions arrived at a bar around 8.30pm on Monday, only to find it closed. “Dry day because of elections,” read a notice outside.
“I thought some lines were missing. It mentioned an upcoming closure 48 hours before polling in Calcutta. But a waiter told me about the extension of curbs and even showed me a notice,” said the 43-year-old, who works at a lawyer’s office near Calcutta High Court.
An LPG shortage had already hit the industry hard. Restaurant owners said the poll restrictions would only deepen losses for bars.
“This is a classic case of disrupting business without notice. This could have been planned in a better way. Many establishments were relying on liquor sales to offset losses from the LPG crisis. Now they are in a deeper hole,” said a member of the Calcutta chapter of the National Restaurant Association of India.
