The area around Kolkata’s Free School Street remains tense after a deadly hotel fire, leaving many Bangladeshis who travelled for medical treatment or business stranded in the city.
Instead of returning to normal, the situation has worsened for patients and their families, with many struggling to find affordable accommodation.
Following the fire at a hotel in Kolkata’s New Market area, Bangladeshi cancer patients and their attendants have been forced to spend nights on pavements.
A Bangladeshi patient’s relative, requesting anonymity, said cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy need to stay close to hospitals.
“Cancer is one of the most critical diseases. Patients undergoing chemotherapy cannot travel long distances. But without hotel accommodation, we are facing extreme hardship,” the person said.
Another Bangladeshi visitor, who came to Kolkata on a medical visa, said they were unaware of the accommodation crisis.
“We paid taxes and visa processing fees to governments. Why should we suffer like this? If we had been informed earlier about the hotel situation, we could have made different arrangements,” he said.
He questioned whether immigration authorities of both countries could have alerted medical travellers about the situation.
Despite the situation unfolding for weeks, the Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh in Kolkata only issued an official advisory last Thursday.
The crisis, however, is not limited to Bangladeshis. Patients and attendants arriving from remote districts of West Bengal for treatment are facing the same hardship, with many forced to sleep under open skies.
For the past few days, the area around Thakurpukur Cancer Research Centre has been crowded with patients and their families from Bangladesh and different parts of West Bengal. Many are spending nights beside roadsides with their luggage, even in the rain.
The situation began after 18 August, when a fire at Shikha Inn on Mirza Ghalib Street near Kolkata’s New Market killed seven Bangladeshis and two Indian nationals.
Following the incident, authorities launched a crackdown on hotels and guest houses across the city.
According to Kolkata Municipal Corporation data, notices were issued to more than 700 establishments, including hotels, guest houses and lodges, for allegedly failing to comply with safety regulations.
Several accommodations were ordered to vacate, while restrictions were placed on accepting new guests.
The move, aimed at improving safety standards, has left many patients and their relatives struggling to find affordable shelter.
A Bangladeshi woman, whose relative is undergoing treatment, said she has been left on the streets while the patient remains in hospital.
“The patient is inside the hospital, but I am wandering around. There are no public toilets in this area either. Only God knows how we are spending these nights,” she said.
Another visitor said he was forced to leave his hotel and received no solution even after approaching police.
“I cannot leave the patient and return home. I have no option but to spend the night on the pavement,” he said.
A Bangladeshi attendant at Thakurpukur Cancer Hospital said affordability was one of the main reasons many Bangladeshis choose the area.
“Treatment here is relatively cheaper. The hotels and guest houses were also affordable. But now we have been forced out. We cannot afford hotels costing 3,000 to 4,000 Indian rupees a night,” he said.
However, the crisis extends beyond Bangladeshi visitors.
Poor patients and attendants arriving from remote areas of West Bengal are also spending nights on the streets. They said they support action against unsafe hotels but questioned why alternative accommodation had not been arranged for vulnerable patients.
Local hotel owner Jayanta Sau said they were unable to help despite their willingness to accommodate patients.
“When cyclones hit West Bengal, people are evacuated and sheltered in relief camps. Why can’t temporary accommodation be arranged for patients and their attendants?” he asked.
Meanwhile, Thakurpukur Cancer Research Centre has provided limited assistance on humanitarian grounds.
Although the hospital has limited space, it has arranged temporary shelter for some Bangladeshi patients and their families following appeals for help.
Hospital authorities said they can accommodate a maximum of 55 people, and several individuals have already been provided shelter.
More than a hundred people from Bangladesh and India are now waiting for accommodation, facing the same question every night: where will they sleep?
They cannot leave their patients behind, but they also cannot afford alternative hotels.
What’s in the commission notice?
Addressing these growing concerns, the Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh in Kolkata urged Bangladeshi citizens to confirm hotel bookings before travelling to Kolkata.
The notice detailed that following the tragic hotel fire on 19 August, the local administration temporarily shut down non-compliant residential hotels and restaurants to enforce safety regulations.
Since local authorities have indicated it may take more than a month for these establishments to reopen in compliance with safety codes, the mission has strongly advised travellers – especially patients and their attendants – not to depart from Bangladesh for Kolkata without securing and verifying advance bookings, including room availability, booking validity, and proximity to hospitals.
