Park Street’s reputation as a weekend lunch favourite survived the mayhem unfolding just a few hundred metres away on Saturday.

Inside the restaurants, it was business as usual. Most popular eateries had queues outside — a familiar Saturday scene — even as police clashed with Nabanna-bound marchers led by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Chowringhee, near the Geological Survey of India office, around 1.45pm.

The police resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd but failed.

The face-off happened on the south-bound flank of Chowringhee, near its intersection with Kyd Street — the stop before the Park Street crossing. The eateries were at least 300m from where the clash occurred.

Rallyists were not expected to take Chowringhee. The detour caught the police off guard, but they responded quickly, enforcing diversions to keep traffic flowing and prevent the disruption from spilling over.

“For a monsoon Saturday, it was business as usual during lunch,” said Siddharth Kothari, owner of Mocambo, Peter Cat, and Peter Hu?.
“Some employees could not make it to work today. But otherwise, it was normal.”

Around 3pm, 10 diners were seen waiting outside Mocambo.

Rajiv Kothari, owner of Bar-B-Q, echoed the sentiment. “The lunch rush was not affected,” he said.

Stranded after lunch

Those who went to Park Street for lunch or work found themselves stuck for transport — either on the way in or trying to get home.

Abhishek Goswami, 59, from New Alipore, came with his family for a Rakhi lunch at Tung Fong. They left the restaurant around 3pm but struggled to get a cab for nearly 30 minutes. “We knew about the Nabanna march. Park Street wasn’t supposed to be affected. We left early and reached without a hitch. But now we’re stuck,” he said around 3.30pm.

Danish Shaikh, 44, came from Behala with his nephew and niece to visit Bar-B-Q, with a stop at “Metro Galli” (Moti Sil Street) to drop off a camera for repair. They took an auto to Tollygunge and the Metro to Esplanade, reaching Park Street around 1.50pm — just as the clash was erupting further south.

“My job was done in 10 minutes. But we got stuck walking towards Park Street. I was stopped just after crossing Lindsay Street. It was chaotic. A policeman saw I had a young boy and girl with me and advised me to turn back and take a detour via Free School Street,” Shaikh said.

Traffic diversions

In response to the stand-off near Kyd Street, the police rolled out a series of diversions.

Sealdah-bound buses from the south, which usually take Lenin Sarani, were denied a left turn at the Exide crossing. Instead, they were redirected along AJC Bose Road and Beckbagan. Smaller north-bound vehicles were diverted via Mayo Road or took a left from the Victoria Memorial onto Red Road.

“After 1pm, traffic on Park Street was headed towards Park Circus. So cars kept moving on Park Street as well,” said a police officer.

Business hit

While Park Street stayed busy, nearby shopping zones suffered.

“The road is deserted. There’s hardly any business. People have postponed their Puja shopping because they fear trouble,” said Firoz Alam Siddiqui, who works at a women’s footwear shop on Bertram Street.

Humayun Place also wore a deserted look.

Last year, the protests following the rape and murder at RG Kar Medical College had dealt a serious blow to Puja business. Many traders feared a rerun.