With Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) cases on the rise, Punekars are avoiding outside food and water, which is heavily impacting businesses, including restaurants, eateries and food stalls in the city. The Khau Galli located at Sinhgad Road near Goel Ganga Chowk, which has around 70 eateries and food joints, was always packed to the brim. However, shop owners claim that since the outbreak of GBS, this place has worn a deserted look and their business has gone down significantly.

Kumar Khatri, founder member of Singhad Vyapari Sangathan, said, "The business has gone down for the past month. People are now hesitant to eat outside, and customers are asking us if we are using packed drinking water for cooking. We have been in the business for the past 12 years and never got any complaints regarding the quality of food as we always use bottled water for cooking and boring water for other utilities like washing and cleaning. The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is just collecting fines from the shop owners, and they are not giving us any guidelines that need to be followed. We are ready to work in collaboration with the PMC, follow the rules and continue the service as usual, but there's no communication. We want PMC to provide water supply or provide us with authorised water suppliers as this area is dependent on boring water and tankers."

Swaraj Dedge, a restaurant owner, narrated his ordeal, "Our raw material is getting wasted every day. It has not just impacted our business but the entire chain has been disturbed, like the raw material suppliers, the workers, and of course, our business is reeling under loss. The authorities come and fine hoteliers, but instead, they should be giving us guidelines and then keeping a tab on who is not following them, which will also help the customers to come and eat freely without the fear of the disease. The customers are also confused and keep asking where we are getting our packed drinking water from, as many RO water suppliers were banned recently. So there is no clarity, which is leading to a mess and affecting the business."

Tishan Khan, who works at a momo stall, added, "Because the business is down, my owner has asked my partner to go back to his native place, and I'm able to manage the entire stall by myself as there are fewer customers. For the past 20 days, the business has been going down, and you can see a lot of empty chairs here."

Meanwhile, speaking to The Free Press Journal, Assistant Municipal Commissioner Namdev Bajbalkar of Sinhagad Road Ward Office said, "PMC has issued guidelines and published and created awareness through newspapers and by distributing pamphlets, because of which people are now alerted and are avoiding outside food and water. The hotel industry should also follow the same guidelines, which include boiling water and doing clean cooking. The business has of course been affected, but in the coming days, the health department will be conducting an inspection, and accordingly, corrective measures will be shared with the owners."