919 Kolkata hotels, guest houses facing closure; tourists face tighter squeeze
The crackdown has already made it difficult for Bangladeshi medical tourists to find affordable accommodation in Kolkata.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has issued temporary closure notices to 919 hotels and guest houses in the city for failing to comply with mandatory fire safety requirements, officials said.
The move could further tighten the supply of budget accommodation for Bangladeshi visitors, many of whom travel to Kolkata for medical treatment and shopping.
The notices were issued following joint inspections by the West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services Department, KMC and Kolkata Police.
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Of the 960 hotels and guest houses inspected so far, only 41 were found to have complied with the required fire safety measures, according to officials.
The inspection drive was intensified following a fire at Shikha Inn, a guest house on Mirza Ghalib Street in central Kolkata, in the early hours of 19 August.
The blaze killed nine people, including seven Bangladeshi nationals.
The establishments that received closure notices will have to upgrade their fire safety systems and obtain a renewed Fire Safety Certificate (RFSC) before applying for licences to resume operations, officials said.
Joint inspection teams have so far inspected around 960 of Kolkata's nearly 3,700 hotels and guest houses – roughly one-fourth of the total.
The inspections will continue at the remaining establishments, officials said.
The crackdown has already made it increasingly difficult for Bangladeshi medical tourists to find affordable hotels and guest houses in Kolkata following the 19 August fire.
