Fire fallout: Other hotel zones gain from Free School Street’s loss

Kolkata: The closure of hotels in central Kolkata following last Wednesday’s fire at Shikha Inn, which claimed nine lives, has forced many Bangladeshis staying in that area to shift to accommodations off EM Bypass, especially in Mukundapur.

Large numbers of Bangladeshi nationals come to Kolkata for medical treatment, with many having appointments for consultations and procedures at private hospitals in the Mukundapur area.

For years, the Marquis Street-Sudder Street-New Market belt in central Kolkata has been a preferred base for visitors from Bangladesh because of its relatively affordable accommodation and proximity to travel agencies, restaurants, shops and transport hubs. The sudden closures, however, have created a shortage of rooms, forcing many visitors to look for accommodations elsewhere.

For medical travellers, Mukundapur and other areas along EM Bypass have emerged as alternatives because of their proximity to several big private hospitals. Hotel owners there reported getting additional bookings from patients and their families who would otherwise have stayed in central Kolkata.

“Our hotel is close to Narayana hospital... We are getting patients from areas where hotels have shut down,” said Harish Chandra Nath, owner of Om Shanti Hotel and Restaurant in Mukundapur. turn

The shift has come even as some accommodation providers in the Mukundapur area have faced action following the Shikha Inn fire.

“Some hotels in our area have been instructed to shut down. But Bangladeshi nationals in Kolkata for treatment are staying in hotels in this area as many accommodations in central Kolkata have shut down,” said Samir Sarkar, owner of Samrat Guest House in Netai Nagar, off Mukundapur Road.

Subhankar Patra, manager of a guest house in Mukundapur, said, “In the past two days we experienced a rush of boarders, mostly Bangladeshis. We have welcomed about five families, mostly from Bangladesh. They have come to the city for medical treatment. We hope the rush to continue.”

Shah Alam, a resident of Pabna in Bangladesh, checked into a Mukundapur guest house last Friday. “We were in a lodge on Free School Street and decided to shift here after the fire. My sister-in-law is undergoing treatment for a gynaecological disorder in the city. The daily rental is about Rs 300 more here. My elder brother called up an agent to find this alternative accommodation as the lodge where we stayed has been shut,” he said.

Md Sohail Islam, a patient from Dhaka, said he was asked to vacate his room at a Marquis Street lodge with only three hours’ notice on Saturday. “My wife and I were told to leave the room because the building lacked a fire safety clearance and the administration sealed it off,” recounted Islam. “We had to travel in the heat before finding a room near Mukundapur. We are paying a higher tariff here despite the place lacking amenities that are readily available in the Marquis Street area.”

The disruption has also affected tourists and business visitors from Bangladesh, some of whom are cutting short their stays amid uncertainty over accommodation.

Zubin Ahmed, a businessman from Jessore who had planned a five-day trade trip, decided to return home early. “My family back home saw reports of the fire and the sudden hotel raids, and they insisted that I return immediately,” he said. “There is too much uncertainty here right now. It is safer to cut my losses, pack up and head back home for now. I will return when the situation returns to normal.”

Shazia Sultan, who was in Kolkata for tourism, brought forward her return after her guest house received a notice. “Other hotels are either shut or full,” she said. “I decided it wasn’t worth the hassle, so I am heading back home two days early.”