Services affected in Kolkata as migrants return to villages for rural polls

Kolkata: Services were affected in Kolkata as migrants employed in sectors ranging from domestic work to hospitality and transport went to their homes in villages to cast their vote in the West Bengal panchayat elections, and many are yet to rejoin work.

Kolkata, being a fully urban area, is the lone district in the state which did not go to the rural polls.

Commuters also faced a harrowing time as many buses and other vehicles were requisitioned for election duty. Restaurants and street food joints were also affected due to the exercise.

Shiladitya Choudhury, owner of a chain of restaurants in the city, said, "On the polling day on Saturday (July 8), we barely managed with only around 40 per cent of the staffers. We had kept our menu short on that day."

Owner of a roadside eatery in Salt Lake Sector V, the IT hub of the city, said pressure had mounted on his stall not only because some of his workers had left but also because other nearby shacks were shut.

"The number of items had to be cut down on the polling day as my cook and most of the helping hands were on leave. There was no problem on Sunday as it was a holiday but on Monday, as the offices reopened, managing the eatery had become difficult," he said.

Satya Sundar Dutta, who runs a famous food joint 'Radu Babur Dokan' beside Lake Market in south Kolkata said, "The situation in the eatery is yet to return to normal as some of the workers have not yet come back from their villages."

He said the eatery could serve only tea on Saturday and Sunday. Life has become difficult for many families dependent on domestic workers as they went to their homes on an extended weekend, and many are yet to rejoin work.

Baby Das, a resident of Dum Dum area near Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose international airport, said her daily routine has turned upside down as her domestic help has taken leave for four-five days.

"I am an old woman and my domestic help stays with me. She does everything from buying vegetables to washing clothes and cooking food. I am barely managing without her," Das said.

On the other hand, Tapan Banerjee, the general secretary of Joint Council of Bus Syndicate said that around 80 per cent of the 31,000 buses affiliated to the syndicate across the state have been taken for poll duty.

"Few buses plied in Kolkata as the drivers and helpers went to their homes in neighbouring districts to cast their votes. The number of buses plying in the city and across the state will remain low till the drivers and helpers rejoin duty," he said.

Voting was held in around 74,000 seats in the three-tier panchayat system on July 8, and counting of votes is underway on Tuesday.