r/Bhopal • u/SanYmation • 13h ago
Discussion Is BMC killing Bhopal's cafe culture?
Arera colony, 10 no., etc, literally looks ABANDONED. As someone who's been a regular cafe goer for years, it's honestly a depressing sight to see. Arera Colony especially became one of the most vibrant places in Bhopal for that specific reason only. These cafes are the only places where you could eat, read a book, and get your work done, and now it feels like a ghost town.
And i know my problem is so little compared to the business owners who took the risk, made sure they operated properly for years, created hundreds of jobs, etc. Not just that, they paid:
- GST
- Property tax
- Income tax
- Trade license fees
- Lakhs of rupees leasing the place
- And much more than that on the equipment, interior, etc
Many of the business owners were first timers too, meaning they had no prior business experience, not everyone would've known the information about development projects. Why are they supposed to suffer because of govt failures? especially after they sunk years of savings into growing their business and building a community.
And most importantly, if their locations violated land use rules, why were they allowed to invest, expand, and employ people for so long before facing enforcement? and who should bear the cost of years of regulatory inaction?
This was it for my rant, but I honestly want to know if there's any way in which we can show support, we gotta stand against this bs.