Customers at Bidhannagar Mela (Utsav) are complaining of skyrocketing prices this year and traders are laying the blame on hiked stall rent.

“I wanted to buy some curios from the Egyptian stall but was shocked to hear they cost Rs 2,000. I had bought similar items from them last year for Rs 1,200,” said Sushma Basu, a college student from FD Block.

“I target the fair every year to buy earrings. Till last year, they were Rs 20 a pair. This time sellers are not reducing a rupee from Rs 50, whatever be the material used,” said Srijita Roy, a shopper who had come south Calcutta.

Nabanita Kar of CA Block took her two children to the rides section of the fair but was in for a shock too. “Till last year, I remember there used to be Rs 20 rides. But this year, the minimum is Rs 50! This is too much,” she said.

Traders argue that the stall prices have seen a steep rise. “Of course, we have had to raise prices. How else can we recover the exorbitant stall rates?” says Keka Paul of Mabesha boutique. “I remember paying Rs 10,000 for a 400 square feet stall in 2001. This year we paid Rs 40,000 for 200 square feet plus Rs 10,000 GST. Also, the rates are supposed to be inclusive of lights but the lights provided by the corporation are either dim or don’t work properly. So we have had to pay an extra Rs 19,000 for better lights.”

The stall rent currently is Rs 295 per square feet plus 18 per cent GST. This charge also includes electricity, which is a new surcharge added this year. In 2016-17, the charge was Rs 200 per square feet and electricity was outsourced. In 2015-16, the charge was Rs 180 per square feet.

Traders are unhappy with the hike. “This year, I paid Rs 69,000 for a 200 square feet stall whereas last year I had paid Rs 25,000 for a 100 square feet stall. The year before, it was Rs 35,000 for a 150 square feet stall,” said Lipika Bhawal of Lipika’s Creation boutique. “If rent continues rising at this rate, I’m not sure if I can return to the fair next year.”

Kiosks and food stalls too haven’t escaped the hike. A tea stall, barely 8 square feet in area, has had to cough up Rs 17,523 as charges. Last year, they had paid Rs 10,000 and the year before that they paid Rs 8,500.

Alok Kundu, one of the members of the stall allotment wing of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, said: “There are two reasons why it appears we have hiked our rates exorbitantly this year. The first is the 18 per cent GST. Secondly, we have started charging Rs 95 per square foot for electricity. Earlier, electricity was charged per point and would be outsourced. But this time we are providing bulbs and points from the corporation itself,” he said.

So the stall rates stand at Rs 295 per square feet of which Rs 95 is for electricity. “For a 100 square foot stall we are providing 800 watts of light. One can either install four LED lights or two halogen lights,” Kundu added.

But traders say the electricity charge is too much. “It comes to Rs 19,000 for the electricity of a 200 square feet stall. How does this add up, considering electricity is used only for four hours in the evening and the duration of the fair is not even a full month?” asks a trader.