Credit: DH Photo
With broken roads and open drains, the mood is gloomy in Fraser Town this Ramzan season.
The open drains and stagnant water around New Taj Biryani Centre on M M Road have already kept customers away for two months.
“There has been a 50 per cent dip in customer footfalls. We were hoping the roads would get fixed by Ramzan, but from the looks of it, this isn’t ending anytime soon. We have kept our menu small this year as we don’t anticipate big crowds,” says Azam, manager.
The locality, popular for its annual Ramzan food mela with over 200 stalls, has received flak over the years for causing traffic snarls and creating health hazards during the festive season.
Last year, the Fraser Town Residents’ Welfare Association, Haji Sir Ismail Sait Community Development Trust, and other neighbourhood organisations came together to call for a ban on the food festival. The local authorities obliged, and the ban on outdoor stalls continues this year.
“The food mela was getting out of hand. In 2023, with an increase in the number of stalls, the footfalls doubled and there was chaos. Comparatively, after the ban last year, the area was in a much better condition. This Ramzan will be a quieter year as the roadwork has made it impossible for people to set up stalls,” says Khalid Ahmed Sharieff, owner of Charminar Kabab Paradise on M M Road.
During the festive month, his eatery serves between 3,000 and 5,000 customers a day. “It is unlikely we will meet the 5,000 mark this year. So far, the footfalls have been low,” he says.
Currently, only restaurants in the neighbourhood are allowed to set up stalls. Yesterday, when Mohammad Sabuddin, owner of Royal Savera restaurant, set up a live grill on the footpath outside his eatery, the police paid him a visit. “During Ramzan, the restaurant business suffers anyway as we have no customers during the day. We look forward to iftar time as that is the only business we get. It is unfair not to let us set up counters outside our own premises,” he says.
Moving elsewhere
Many believe Fraser Town is no longer the go-to destination for Ramzan food and snacks.
After noticing a drop in walk-in customers by about 80% since the roads were dug up outside his restaurant, Al Zara Mandi, on M M Road, Abdul Wajid decided to set up stalls in Koramangala this year. “The people of Kormangala have a better festive spirit,” he says.
Mohammed Imtiyaz, who has been setting up a live grill on Mosque Road during the Ramzan season since 2018, has also decided to move out.
“This year, I am setting up two stalls, one in Koramangala and another in Kammanahalli. For years, there has been a back and forth between the eateries and residents of Fraser Town. They truly don’t want us here,” he says.
Foodies Metrolife spoke to said they were planning to skip Fraser Town and check out other neighbourhoods.
The Islamic month of Ramzan began on March 1.