NEW DELHI: In the aftermath of the Malviya Nagar guest accommodation fire that claimed 21 lives, small businesses across the area are struggling as hotel closures and reduced occupancy have sharply curtailed customer footfall.
Several eateries, laundries, grocery shops and travel service providers in the Hauz Rani area said their businesses have come to a near standstill situation since authorities sealed or vacated several accommodations following the June 3 blaze. According to a dhaba owner, Abdul Wasim, most of his customers are patients and attendants staying in nearby hotels.
He said, “Our dhaba was already closed during Eid last month, and we opened for hardly one or two days. Again, it has remained shut for three days, and God knows how many more days it will be closed.”
“Many of our customers used to come from nearby guest houses for breakfast and dinner. Some of my workers are worried about their wages, and a few have already left for their villages,” Wasim added.
Another person, Rakesh Kumar, who runs a laundry service in the area stated that the closure of hotels has virtually wiped out his business.
“Nearly 80 per cent of our work comes from hotels and guest houses. Bedsheets, towels and clothes of guests are washed here every day. Since the fire, there is hardly any work. We may suffer losses of around `1 lakh if the situation continues for another few weeks,” Kumar said.
Sales of convenience stores have also reportedly dropped. Mohammad Arif, who owns one such store in that area, said, “Usually there is movement throughout the day. People buy water bottles, snacks, medicines and daily-use items. Since Wednesday, the area has been unusually quiet. Our sales have fallen by more than half.”
The usually busy neighbourhood appeared subdued on Friday, with fewer people on the streets and little commercial activity visible.
Sanjay Gupta, who operates a food corner near the hotel cluster, said several businesses in the lane survive because of the steady flow of patients visiting nearby hospitals.
“Many attendants stay here for weeks during treatment. They eat at our shops every day. Now many hotels have been vacated, and customers have disappeared overnight. We are staring at losses of nearly `80,000 to `1 lakh this month as our food items, mostly used for cooking non-vegetarian food, are spoiling,” he said.
The Hauz Rani area that is located close to Max Hospital, has over the years emerged as a hub for budget hotels and guest houses catering to patients and attendants from different parts of the country as well as abroad.