Tour operators were told that none will be allowed to move into Sunderbans during the chief minister's trip. District magistrate NS Nigam, however, denied of putting up any such notice.
"No order was made barring tourist entry into Sunderbans," said Nigam.
On Monday, several tourist lodges in Pakhiralaya received frantic calls from tourists asking them if their bookings had been cancelled. Most tour operators were in the dark about the instruction and failed to clear their doubts. They did not know if they could operate their boats to fetch the tourists. The cloud of uncertainty was cleared later in the day with the district magistrate making it clear that no restriction has been imposed on tourist movements. Scores of bookings had been cancelled by then.
"This being the tourist season, it led to a big confusion. Hundreds had booked rooms in advance and they were obviously taken aback. Many chose to cancel their bookings instead of waiting for a clarification from the government. Many of us are facing losses," said Mrinal Chatterjee, secretary of the Institute of Climbers' and Nature-Lovers' Association that runs a lodge at Pakhiralaya.
Dibyendu Mondol, a tour operator, said scores of launch bookings have been cancelled since Thursday. "In fact, it was from the spate of cancellations that we came to know about the order. When we checked with the Sajnekhali forest office, we were told that an order had been issued but later withdrawn. But most had already cancelled their trips by then," said Mondol. Read the full report here.
Source: Prithvijit Mitra, TNN, Kolkata.
