Kolkata's money exchange centres empty as Bangladeshi tourists decline

Kolkata's foreign exchange or money exchange centres are suffering from an acute crisis of customers as Bangladeshi tourists in India have drastically declined since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina government on August 5 last.

As a result, the money exchange centers adjacent to New Market in Kolkata are largely empty. These institutions are mainly dependent on Bangladeshi tourists.

Most Bangladeshis usually go to India via Kolkata for medical treatment, business, travel and various other reasons. As a result, the overflowing crowd of Bangladeshis was noticeable at the money exchange centers. As India has almost stopped providing visas to Bangladeshis since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, the number of customers at the money exchange centres has also declined sharply after July.

Employees of these institutions said that they have a lot of Bangladeshi money deposited with them. But due to the decline in the number of Bangladeshi tourists no one is asking for Bangladeshi money anymore.

A money exchange worker named Mostaq Rezwan said, “There are rumors in Kolkata that the currency notes with the image of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman will be canceled. As a result, we are very worried about this.”

Meanwhile, in addition to Kolkata's New Market, the money exchange centres at Petropol border in Bangaon and the Gede border are also facing a crisis due to the decrease in the movement of people through those border areas.

Sources said the employees working in these money exchange centres are already being laid off.