Saturday, 30 March 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Ahead of the Jhanda Mela, the operators of fast food stalls have witnessed an increase in their sales. The historic Jhanda Mela is set to start today. The arrival of groups of devotees (Sangats) began earlier on March 22. With these arrivals, the fast food stall operators at Saharanpur Chowk experienced a surge in the sale of food items compared to regular days.
A number of devotees can be seen thronging the shops close to where the Jhanda Mela will start. As a result, many fast food sellers relocated their stalls nearer to the Jhanda Mela site to capitalise on the opportunity to increase their earnings.
Fast food stall operator Raju Kumar said that he has been running the stall in the market area of Saharanpur Chowk for the past five years. Every year, the sales rise ahead of Jhanda Mela due to the arrival of Sangats from Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The sale of fast food items which include noodles, soup and various other items sees higher demand by the devotees this time compared to normal days, he added.
“I run a fast food shop in Paltan Bazaar. In order to increase my earnings and seize the opportunity, I relocated to a small fast food stall near Jhanda Mela. The sales of these items have been rising this time due to the arrival of Sangats. Since the arrival of devotees, I have witnessed a significant rise in the sale of fast food items at my stall,” another fast food vendor Mayank Verma said.
However, the shopkeepers selling other items like clothes, shoes and accessories have not yet witnessed a significant increase in sales. They claimed that devotees were more interested in experiencing the new tastes rather than purchasing other items.
A devotee from Punjab Hardeep Bagga said that he visits Jhanda Mela every year to offer his prayers. He opined that the devotees are more interested in experiencing the taste of Dehradun rather than buying new items. For buying the items the devotees are more attracted to the Mela and enjoy exploring it, he added.
