SINGAPORE — Two years after a riot broke out in Little India, some of the smaller businesses in the area are still struggling to get back on their feet, but tougher liquor laws have not made it easy.

Between April and October this year, police have issued over 941 advisories islandwide against those found to have breached the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act.

The first riot in Singapore in more than 40 years erupted on Dec 8, 2013, along Race Course Road. More than 50 responding officers were injured, and 23 emergency vehicles were damaged.

Life has resumed normalcy in Little India. The enclave — as a designated Liquor Control Zone — is also subject to stricter alcohol control laws. For instance, drinking in public is not allowed from 7am on Saturdays through to 7am on Mondays. Shops also cannot sell takeaway alcohol from 7pm on weekends.

The stricter regulations have sounded the death knell for small business owners like Mr Annai Velu. For 15 years, he has run a grocery store selling liquor and sundries along Race Course Road.

In its heyday, business was brisk. Today, it is a far cry from what it used to be.

“It’s very difficult to run the shop, because the rental is S$7,000 a month,” he explained. “Still I can sustain by using money from my own pocket. I have another business and I’m drawing a salary from another company — so every month I give between S$7,000 and S$10,000 to my wife to run this shop.”

Mr Velu added that he is making losses every month, but he keeps his business going, hoping that the authorities will eventually relax the rules. If not, he will have to go the way of some other shopkeepers.

“Those who have any properties in India, they sold the properties and brought the money here to sustain their families. Some of them, they cannot run the business in Singapore, only the men stay, and they send their families back to India,” he said. “I also will wait for another two to three months. Then if I cannot sustain then I don’t want to waste my money, I will also close down.”

DWINDLING NUMBER OF FOREIGN WORKERS

Mr Velu’s story echoes the woes of many businesses in Little India that cater to foreign workers. The number of workers who frequent the area has dwindled over the past two years.

“Two years ago, you find them coming into Little India about once a week. But now they’re coming only fortnightly or only once a month,” said Little India Shopkeepers and Heritage Association (LISHA) chairman Rajkumar Chandra. “As such, the impact on Little India — we find the businesses have been affected, not only for the liquor shops but also for all the shops. About 95 per cent of the businesses in Little India have been depending on these foreign workers who come to Little India once a week.”

Mr Rajkumar attributed this to the tougher measures on public drinking. Before the riot, he said liquor was a thriving business. He added that another reason is that the buses that ferry the workers to Little India on Sundays now depart the area earlier.

With improved facilities at workers’ dormitories and recreation centres, there is even less incentive for these workers to make the trip to Little India only to stay for a while. As such, LISHA has stepped in to help.

“We are trying our best to bring as many businesses which have been affected more to the recreation centres - where we have all the shops, and business is normal every day. That way, we are helping these merchants,” said Mr Rajkumar.

The association helps manage two recreation centres located in Penjuru and Jalan Terusan.

Mr Rajkumar has also written to the authorities, requesting that the bus departure times be extended.

Even as some businesses have folded, others are still trying to keep their heads above water.

“Because they’re into this business for 15 years, 20 years — they just can’t change over immediately. So they’re just pushing on, trying to put on different items into their business, reducing emphasis on the sale of liquor, and looking at other areas where they can improve their business,” Mr Rajkumar explained.

For beverage supplier Drinkz Connection, about half of its 20 regular clients operate within Little India. Drinkz Connection’s sales has dipped, so it has had to think of ways to gain new customers.

“For the eight to 10 businesses we supply around here, we need to go beyond that now, a lot further beyond that,” said Mr Shane Gill, Drinkz Connection’s operations manager. “We’re revamping our website, and we also sell at wholesale prices, so we need to get the message out to the masses. We never had to do this before. But now after what has happened, we do.”

But for businesses that are less savvy, it would be a matter of how long more they will be able to stay afloat. CHANNEL NEWSASIA