Wrong location, overpriced food leave Jaipur's 8 crore Chaupatis deserted

Time of India

2 days ago

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Jaipur: Four years ago, during the Congress govt's tenure, Jaipur introduced the concept of Jaipur Chaupatis to boost tourism and provide the residents with a new hangout destination.
Two chaupatis were built—one at Mansarovar on Dwarkadas Marg and the other at Pratap Nagar, Sector-23, on Haldighati Marg. The Rajasthan Housing Board (RHB) invested nearly Rs 8 crore in developing these projects. The idea was to offer a single destination where families could enjoy a wide variety of cuisines—fast food, Italian, continental, South Indian, Rajasthani, Gujarati, sweets, ice creams, juices, shakes, and traditional lassi and buttermilk.
Initially, the concept drew crowds, but within a few years, the buzz faded.
In sharp contrast, Masala Chowk at Ramniwas Bagh remains a roaring success. According to guards posted there, "On weekends, more than 2,000 people visit, and on weekdays, the number still touches around 1,500." RHB earns nearly Rs 9 crore a month from Masala Chowk, where the entry ticket is Rs 13 per person. Its success is largely attributed to its prime location between the iconic Albert Hall and Ramniwas Bagh, which naturally attracts both tourists and locals.
The story of the Mansarovar and Pratap Nagar chaupatis has been starkly different. Here, the entry fee was fixed at Rs 10 per person. When they opened in Nov 2021, the initial response was strong with over four lakh visitors visiting in just five months, generating Rs 40 lakh from entry fees alone. But the footfall quickly declined. Today, 18 out of 28 shops at Pratap Nagar chaupati have shut down, with barely 300-400 visitors on weekdays.
Similarly, at Mansarovar chaupati, 10 out of 22 shops have closed.
The Pratap Nagar and Mansarovar's Jaipur chaupati is managed by Suhana Enterprises. Harish Chaudhary, manager at Pratap Nagar chaupati, explained, "The rent for shops is between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000, and with GST, it rises to nearly Rs 40,000. When footfall declined, vendors began incurring heavy losses and had no choice but to shut down." He also pointed to food quality as a major issue, "When people can get the same taste at half the price from roadside stalls, why would they come here?"
At Mansarovar chaupati, Ameesh Chaudhary, who manages the site, said, "Now people come here only to make Instagram reels.
The real problem was that expectations were set too high, but the food quality never matched them."
He said, "Initially, we organised musical nights daily, but residents from nearby colonies complained about the noise. First, we shifted to weekends only, and eventually, we had to stop them altogether."
Former RHB commissioner Pawan Arora admitted, "Masala Chowk succeeded because of its prime location, but at Pratap Nagar and Mansarovar, maintenance and hygiene could not be sustained.
Our concept of providing middle-class families with a unique experience under one roof simply didn't work."
He said, "We also tried adding attractions such as musical nights and play areas for children, but they didn't last. Still, one positive outcome was that property rates in Pratap Nagar and Mansarovar doubled, as people started investing in real estate there."
Vikas Kumar Yadav, who works at a food stall in Masala Chowk, shared, "So many people come here that at times, tourists even sit on the ground to eat.
On weekdays, we make between Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 a day. We also run a stall at Jaipur Chaupati in Mansarovar, but there we hardly earn Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 a day. Everyone is running at a loss there."
Keshav Kumar, employed at Jaipur Chaupati in Pratap Nagar, said, "I've been working here for just a year, but I've seen how shopkeepers struggle. The earnings that were once possible in the beginning are no longer there. We are facing losses, but we have no choice and need to keep the shop running."
Prakash Yadav, who manages a stall called Chaupati Kings at Mansarovar's Jaipur Chaupati, said, "We run the same brand stall at Masala Chowk as well. Over there, the earnings are so good that we make more in a day than we do here even on weekends. This shop is just being kept alive for the sake of it."
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