Black marketeers looking to prey on hapless goldsmiths of Bowbazar

Kolkata: With the jewellery industry in Bowbazar left badly hit due to ornament-making units being damaged, brokers are

looting the goldsmiths in the name of providing space to run their business.

"House is available to run gold business, contact 9674684303," reads a poster written in Bengali, which can be seen strewn around

in the lanes and bylanes of Bowbazar, paving the way for black marketing.

"Our jewellery manufacturing unit situated at 12, Syakra Para Lane has been totally damaged due to the tunnel boring of East-West Metro. Recently, we have talked to a broker for a 2,000 square feet space to run our jewellery manufacturing unit, who told me it will cost me Rs 80,000 per month. The price is skyrocketing and going beyond our reach," said Vijay Suryavanshi of Vijay Assay Centre Private Limited.

He reiterated that his father had started running the jewellery manufacturing unit at 12, Syakra Para Lane in 1988. Back then, the rent of the manufacturing unit used to be Rs 200 per month, which had shot up to Rs 3,200 in 2019.

While the jewellery shops are located on the main stretch of B B Ganguly Street, the workshops of the artisans associated with these shops are located in and around Durga Pithuri Lane, Syakra Para Lane and Gour De Lane.

350 such artisans working in 85 workshops located in this area are now at a complete loss. They have been asked not to go to work in the workshops.

"We have noticed the posters along the lanes today. This is actually black marketing. We have to stop this," said Samar Kumar De, working president of Swarna Shilpa Bachao Committee.