Last-minute rush: Shoppers throng malls, markets on Sun

The shopkeepers at these markets have decided to keep their shops open for a longer time as the rush of shoppers continues

MP | 26 Sept 2022 | KOLKATA: Less than a week before Durga Puja, the markets and malls across the city remained crowded with enthusiastic shoppers on Sunday. Most of the people were seen shopping without masks. 

In South Kolkata, places like Gariahat and New Market remained the focal point for shoppers and in North Kolkata, it was Hatibagan. The crowding at these markets started early on in the day and kept increasing as time passed. 

The shopkeepers at these markets have decided to keep their shops open for a longer time as the rush of shoppers continues. At Gariahat, the street shops selling clothes, jewellery, bags and crockery were a huge hit amongst the shoppers. 

The food shops making rolls and spiced cold drinks were also kept busy by the crowd, which included both shoppers and passersby. 

A similar and more intense situation was seen outside the Esplanade metro station as shoppers flocked their way to New Market. By evening, the crowd grew twice in size. 

It was Mahalaya on Sunday, thus there were also people who had stepped out to visit a few puja pandals in their vicinity in order to avoid the rush on main days of Puja. They added to the congestion on various roads in the city. 

Traffic at Rashbehari Avenue, Southern Avenue, Gariahat, VIP Road and Shyambazar were the worst hit. One of the reasons for the slow traffic at Gariahat point was because of the shoppers' crowd spilling on the road. It was also slow on the stretch of Gariahat Road (South) in front of the Dakshinapan complex. 

For the convenience of people stepping out to visit Puja pandals and other places of interest during this time, the Kolkata Police released a Puja guide map on Saturday. These maps have marked popular Puja pandals under different divisions as well as necessary amenities like emergency exit, public toilet, amongst others. 

They also unveiled the Utsab App, which is available on the Play Store. It will show Puja venues and help people navigate. 

http://www.millenniumpost.in/kolkata/last-minute-rush-shoppers-throng-malls-markets-on-sun-494092