Heading to Kolkata? Bangladesh mission says book a hotel first

Bangladesh’s Deputy High Commission in Kolkata has advised citizens travelling from Bangladesh to the Indian city to confirm their hotel bookings before departure, warning that accommodation shortages may follow temporary closures imposed after a deadly fire last month.

In a notice dated Sept 3, the mission said local authorities had taken a series of steps after the Aug 19 fire in Kolkata and urged Bangladeshi nationals travelling for medical treatment or other purposes to plan carefully to avoid difficulties on arrival.

Travellers have been asked to make sure their hotel bookings are confirmed and to check whether the hotel is currently operating, whether rooms are available and where the property is located.

The mission issued separate advice for people accompanying patients travelling to Kolkata for treatment.

Attendants should confirm accommodation before leaving Bangladesh and verify the availability of rooms, validity of the booking, distance between the hotel and hospital, and other necessary facilities, it said.

The deputy high commission said local authorities had temporarily shut some hotels and restaurants considered vulnerable to accidents following the recent fire.

According to the notice, officials in Kolkata have indicated that some of those establishments may take more than a month to reopen as they work to comply with local safety requirements and other regulations.

“In such circumstances, travellers are requested not to visit Kolkata without confirming hotel bookings in advance in order to avoid accommodation problems after arrival,” the mission said.

The advisory follows a deadly fire at a hotel near Kolkata’s New Market on Aug 19 that killed nine people.

The Bangladesh Deputy High Commission later confirmed that seven of the victims were Bangladeshi nationals and two were Indian citizens. Around 60 people were rescued from the building.