Disaster forces tourists to cancel Puja bookings to Sikkim

Kolkata: The Sikkim catastrophe that claimed several lives has left tourists in a lurch. The neighbouring state has always been a preferred tourist destination for people from Bengal during Puja but the recent devastation has led to several cancellations in bookings.

As many as 30 buses reach Sikkim from Siliguri SNT Bus Terminus but these services stopped from Wednesday, which left several tourists stranded.

Moreover, with internet and phone connections being snapped, relatives struggled to contact them. Incidentally, a flash flood by the Teesta and its tributary, Lachen, wreaked devastation in Lachen Valley, North Sikkim on Wednesday. The swelling waters of the Teesta washed away multiple bridges and roads, cutting off links between Gangtok and Siliguri.

Tapan Roy, the owner of a private tour agency in Kolkata said that many people from Bengal are cancelling their scheduled trips following the devastation in Sikkim. Many of them are given alternative options like Darjeeling, Nepal and Bhutan among others.

Arnab Bhattacharya, a private sector employee from Dum Dum said: “We had our bookings during Puja as we wanted to visit North Sikkim but following a sudden flash flood in Sikkim, we had to change our plans. We are now planning to visit North Bengal if there is any availability.”

Among the stranded tourists, there are many bikers as well. Two brothers from Raiganj, Swarnadeep Majumdar (23) and Srikanta (25), who were on a bike trip to Sikkim with one friend couldn’t be contacted by their families till late on Wednesday.

According to an official estimate, around 1,200 tourists, including bikers’ groups, were stranded only in North Sikkim. They all are said to be safe. They can be contacted as soon as the electricity, phone and internet lines are restored.