Kolkata: Hundreds of tourists from Bangladesh and Nepal, as well as travellers from Assam, Nagaland and other parts of India, were left virtually homeless on Saturday, spending hours hunting for rooms after several budget hotels and guest houses in the New Market-Marquis Street-Free School Street area were shut over the past three days.The distress was particularly acute among families who had come to Kolkata with patients for treatment. Having chosen the area for its inexpensive rooms and easy access to transport, markets and medical facilities, they were suddenly forced to look for accommodation elsewhere, often at considerably higher rates.“I am a heart patient and have come for follow-up treatment at EM Bypass hospital. I was planning to stay here for a week. But only hours after checking in, the staff asked us to vacate the room as the hotel had been closed down. We are not getting any other cheaper options in this area,” said Abdul Kader, a resident of Rajbari in Bangladesh. After being pushed out of Boran Guest House on Marquis Street, Kader took a taxi to Mukundapur with his family in search of an affordable guest house.Equally distraught was Bishal Pokharel from Birgunj in Nepal, who was in the city with his wife and son. The family had planned to spend a week in Kolkata before taking a train to Vellore for his son’s treatment. “We had planned to explore the city and buy some clothes. But after we were asked to move out of the hotel on Marquis Street, we are at a loss. Our travel agent has relocated us to another hotel in central Kolkata, but it is exceeding our budget. I am now trying to head to Chennai early next week,” said Pokharel.For many like Md Ripon, the hotel hunt had begun in the afternoon and continued throughout the day. Accompanied by his son, wife, sister-in-law and father, Ripon moved from one property to another, hoping to find a vacant room, only to discover that hotels had either been closed or were already running full following the sudden squeeze on available accommodation.“My wife can’t even walk. We had just settled into our room after a tiring bus journey from Bangladesh. Within hours, we were asked to move out. Where will we go now?” asked Sufal Mali, a resident of Naogaon district.. He has a train to Chennai from Howrah on Monday for his wife’s treatment.
