CR Park food stalls prepare for pujo rush

Vendors at CR Park markets are anticipating a festive rush as food lovers across NCR flock the locality during Durga Puja . They are bracing for the uptick in consumption by ramping up their production.


' Sondesh sells 10x more during pujo '
Sanjay Das, a sweet shop owner in CR Park Market 1, says, "Mishti doi is the most popular dish at our shop. We sell around 30 to 40kg per day but during the festive rush, it can go up to 100 to 150kg per day. Sondesh is also in demand. From 250 to 300 pieces per day, it jumps to 2,000 to 3,000 during pujo," He adds that their staff size doubles to keep up with the orders. CR Park is also known for its spicy Kolkata kathi rolls and biryani . Rohit, a vendor making chicken and egg rolls, says, "On an average day, we use around 3-4kg of chicken in one day. During Durga Puja it goes up to 20kg. Similarly, the usual 5 crates of eggs per day increases to around 30-40 crates during pujo."


Shops remain open till 3am: Vendors
The Kolkata biryani, known to make mouths water with just the aroma, is craved by many. "We sell around 150 plates of biryani in a day. During pujo, the number goes up to 900 plates a day," says Amir Khan, an employee at a biryani outlet. While sweet prices rise by only ₹2–4, puchkas jump by ₹10, with vendors at pandals sometimes charging over ₹50 per plate. Sanjay Das, whose store stays open till 3am during the festival, says, "Sugar is the backbone of our production, so we get around 250kgs during pujo as compared to around 50kgs regularly."