The number of Bangladeshi tourists visiting India has dropped to 70%, due to the mass movement by the students that started on July 8, demanding quota reform in government jobs, according to locals in India’s Petrapole border.

They said the decrease in Bangladeshi tourists affected India’s economy.

According to border sources, 3000 Bangladeshis used to cross the Petrapol-Benapole border every day, but that number has now dropped to 500.

Meanwhile, Kolkata's Marquees Street, close to the new market area, has been impacted because the businesses there depend on Bangladeshi visitors.

In this situation, shops, particularly hoteliers on Marquis Street, are suffering from a shortage of Bangladeshi customers.

Manabendra Ghosh, a currency exchange company official at Petrapol, said on Wednesday (July 31) that currency exchange center at Petrapol port, Petrapol-Kolkata bus transport and other transport companies, local businessmen have faced heavy economic losses as the number of passengers from Bangladesh has decreased drastically.

The businessmen in Marquis Street, Petrapol, India are hoping for an improvement in the situation in Dhaka soon, as reported by Banglanews correspondent in Kolkata.

BDST: 1647 HRS, JULY 31, 2024
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