PURI: Tourists visiting the pilgrim town to spend winter holidays faced immense difficulties after a number of trains were cancelled due to large-scale violence and arson at many railway stations en route to Kolkata over the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA).
As many as 11 Kolkata-bound trains from Puri were cancelled and no train left from Howrah to Puri on Saturday. Similarly, five Express trains were cancelled on Sunday. The emerging situation caused major inconvenience to visitors who were scheduled to depart from the pilgrim town with many remaining stranded at Puri railway station.
On the other hand, the hospitality industry, which mainly thrives on visitors from West Bengal, has expressed concern over the development as many bookings are being cancelled every day. There are over 1,000 hotels and lodges in Puri. Hotels located along the beach are thronged by visitors, mainly from West Bengal, from December to mid-February.
Secretary of Hotel Association of Puri RK Patra said if the violence continues and escalates further, it may hamper the local tourism industry which is limping back after taking a beating due to cyclone Fani in May this year.Patra hoped that the situation will improve soon.