Staff Correspondent

A deadly fire at a hotel in India’s Kolkata has caused panic among tourists. Many of them, including Bangladeshis, are cutting short their trips to West Bengal and are preparing to return home.

According to a report published in the Times of India on Friday, some tourists in the West Bengal capital have suspended their trips after the fire at “Shikha Inn” in the New Market area late on Tuesday killed nine people, including five Bangladeshis.

Many Bangladeshis who had previously made travel plans across the border are also postponing their visits.

Local travel agents and hotel associations in Marquis Street, Sadar Street, Colin Street and the New Market area have confirmed that tourists are leaving Kolkata ahead of schedule. Many tourists who were supposed to come to the city have postponed their trips as well.

Meanwhile, the Kolkata-based Anandabazar reports that the city municipality and fire department conducted a drive in Kolkata's New Market area on Friday and closed 11 risky hotels on charges of various irregularities. The number of hotels on the closure list may increase further.

The authorities have already put up closure notices following the inspections. The concerned parties are being asked to vacate the hotels immediately. Guests staying in some hotels have also been evicted. The administration has ordered the closed hotels to be completely vacated within 24 hours.

Mirza Ghalib Street and Marquis Street in the New Market area are known as cheap places to stay for Bangladeshis on business or sightseeing trips. As a result, numerous hotels have popped up there.

According to the Times of India, the Kolkata fire has caused concern across the border in Bangladesh. Panicked relatives in Bangladesh are urging their family members in the city to quickly end their visit and return home.

Khurshid Alam, a Bangladeshi national and resident of Pabna, was staying in another hotel in the same building where the “Shikha Inn” hotel was located.

He told the daily, “After seeing news of the fire and the deaths of five Bangladeshis, my wife and parents called me and asked me to return home immediately. I am here on business. I am trying to finish my work by Friday afternoon, but I will return soon.”

Khurshid said that he was staying in the same building when the fire broke out. Later, he moved to another hotel on Marquis Street.

After the fire at Shikha Inn, Kolkata police formed a special investigation team to trace Bireshwar Mitra, the owner of the building on Mirza Ghalib Street. The Kolkata Municipality has also formed a five-member committee to check the fire prevention systems at residential hotels across the city.

According to Anandabazar, a joint operation by the municipality, the fire department and police on Friday caused a stir in the New Market area.

The officials conducting the operation alleged that almost no hotel inspected had followed the rules and several were being run without a licence.

Citing relevant sources, the news said that show cause notices were sent to the owners of these hotels on Thursday. When the authorities did not get a satisfactory response, the operation was carried out on Friday. The list of hotels to be closed includes seven at 23 Marquis Street and three at 25 Marquis Street.

A receptionist at a hotel said, "We have been sent a notice. It says that we have to vacate the premises. We have fire extinguishers, but there is no fire alarm. There is no other fire protection system. We have a fire licence, but it has not been renewed after 2024. There were five to six guests here. We will vacate."

Fahim, a young man from Bangladesh, arrived in Kolkata from Bangladesh on Friday afternoon. He had already booked a hotel. But after reaching his destination, he was informed that his room was no longer available because the hotel had been closed. Fahim said, “I just came from Bangladesh. I came to stay here, but they told me to leave. I had already booked. Let’s see where I can go now, what I can find. I came to Kolkata for a trip.”

Anandabazar says that after the closure of 11 hotels, show cause notices were sent to 17 new hotels in the New Market area on Friday. They have also been given 24 hours to respond. If a satisfactory response is not received within this time, notices will be issued for their closures as well.

Meanwhile, the Times of India reports that many tourists are trying to avoid the crackdown by the local administration. Some tourists staying at the different hotels at 15G Mirza Ghalib Street have postponed their trips and boarded buses headed back across the border on Thursday.

Ismail Sarkar, a resident of Dhaka, said, “We do not want to be caught in any raids by the administration in the area’s hotels. We can return when the situation normalises.”

Local travel agents say that many tourists are contacting them for return tickets over the next few days. Gopal Manna, a travel agent, said: “The fire has scared many tourists. They now want to leave the area and return home. They have requested us to process their return tickets.”

The media outlet says that the concerned traders have warned that the sudden departure of panicked tourists could further hamper the economic recovery of the New Market area of Kolkata, which is popularly known as “mini Bangladesh”.

A visa ban during the coronavirus pandemic and the recent political tensions between India and Bangladesh have led to a sharp slowdown in the area’s business for the last four years.

After a long period of stagnation, tourist-centric businesses in the area had hoped for recovery when India begin issuing tourist visas to Bangladeshis once again in July.