CAA row: Home-bound tourists stay away from hot spots

Kolkata: Hazarduari palace in Murshidabad saw an unprecedented low in the tourist influx during Christmas after protests against National Register of Citizens (NRC) and Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) surfaced at various places of the district.

Hazarduari palace is one of the historical tourist spots in the state that sees a huge number of visitors during Christmas and New Year.

Howvever, a significant fall in the tourist influx has affected the local business. The hotel and lodge owners in and around the palace have also expressed their concern after the people preferred not to go to the place. People across the Bengal take out time from their busy schedule and visit one of Bengal's iconic palaces in Murshidabad in the year end. Apart from Hazarduari, Katra mosque, Kathgolap garden, the Motijheel are also known crowd pullers.

Local businessmen and lodge owners in the district suspect that people decided to give a miss to Hazarduari after there were violent protests at different railway stations.

During a recent protest against the implementation of NRC and CAA, a mob ransacked various railway stations while some of them were set on fire. Train services in the Sealdah-Lalgola section had also been suspended due to the agitation.

As a result, people were reluctant to visit Murshidabad this season. Many tourists who had booked hotels and lodges prior to the incident also cancelled their bookings.

A member of Murshidabad Byaboshai Samiti said that business has taken hit after many people cancelled their bookings. People preferred not to visit the place as the train services in this section were affected.

According to the local district administration, around 20,000 tickets are normally sold during the Christmas but this year around 3,000 tickets were sold. The situation is almost the same in other important places in Murshidabad.