Kolkata, Aug 30 (IANS) While excitement builds up in the soccer mad city over the Set 2 tie involving Argentina and Venezuela at Salt Lake stadium, the long-established hawkers at the stadium are angry over the administration’s decision to remove them from the venue and deprive them of lucrative business.
The countdown has already begun for the first ever FIFA official international friendly match between Argentina and Venezuela in India with most of the stars already in town and Messi expected early Wednesday.
‘We have been asked to move out from the stadium campus from tomorrow (Wednesday) itself. The officials have cited security reasons. We had been waiting to do good business during Messi’s visit as lot people will come to see the match,’ said Mina, who has been running a tea and snacks corner inside the campus for the last 14 years.
‘Since the day we heard about the Messi match a few months back, we were happy because we felt we could do good business. Now we are being asked to leave. This is not good. We are poor people,’ said Ashok, who has been running a masala muri (puffed rice) shop inside the campus for the last 12 years.
‘They will not allow us inside the campus so we will put our stalls outside the campus because we cannot just leave the opportunity to earn more,’ said Archana, a tea stall owner who lives in the campus. Her husband works in the stadium as a fourth class staff.
Soccer superstar Lionel Messi will make his debut as full-time captain of the star-studded Argentine team that will take on Venezuela at the Salt Lake stadium.
‘We sit inside the stadium campus for last 14 years throughout the year. Most of the time we are not able to do good business due to lack of attractive matches and when there is a big match like this we are asked to move out,’ said 42-year-old Kartick, who runs a snacks corner in the campus.
While reminiscing about their flourishing business during former soccer star Diego Maradona’s visit to the stadium in December 2008, the hawkers asserted that if not allowed inside the stadium, they will put up stalls outside as they are not ready to go away from the lucrative business opportunity.
‘I have sold 20 kg of masala muri on a single day during Maradona’s visit…can you just imagine the amount of business I had done. I am eager to do much better business this time,’ said Ashok.
Others had the same tale.
‘When Maradona visited the stadium in December 2008, I had done huge business. More than 2,000 cups of tea and 15 dozens of omelettes were sold in addition to other snacks. But this time I will try to set up stall outside the stadium campus,’ said Mina.
‘Messi’s match in Kolkata is also equally a lifetime opportunity for us to do good business… we can’t just let it go,’ said Kartick.
