Kolkata: The protests at RG Kar Medical College are not just affecting the hospital., as businesses around it are also feeling the squeeze. Medical and diagnostic shops, usually bustling with customers, are facing a drastic drop in sales.
“90 per cent of our sales are down. It’s for a cause, and we support it, but we need justice,” says the owner of a medical shop opposite the hospital’s main gate. “Hardly any patients are coming. Those who were here are leaving. The shops that used to be packed are now empty.”
Sudhir Mondal, another shop owner, echoes the sentiment. “We just want justice to be served, and for things to go back to normal. Patients are scared, and if this continues, it will only get worse for us.”
The once-bustling area has turned eerily quiet, leaving these shop owners in limbo, waiting for the situation to stabilize so they can resume their livelihoods.
