Bengal tourists change travel plans, scamper to leave Valley
Times of India | 25 April 2025
12 Kolkata/Kharagpur/Arambagh: What began as a dream vacation for many tourists from Bengal, ended up being a harrowing ordeal.
Twelve Bengali tourists from Ashoknagar — members of four families — set out for Kashmir earlier this month. The five men and seven women arrived in Kashmir on April 13. Over the next few days, they toured Srinagar, Gulmarg, Sonmarg, and the Tulip Garden. On April 18, they visited Baisaran Valley. According to their itinerary, they were to travel to Jammu on the night of April 20, catch a train to Delhi, and then return to Kolkata. But a flash flood near Dharmkund village washed away a 15km stretch of road, and the group — led by Gupi Majumdar, and including Pallabi Das and Shampa Majumdar — was forced to return to Srinagar. Just 36 hours later, tragedy struck Baisaran Valley.
"We never imagined our dream vacation would end like this," said Shampa, who was stuck in her hotel for four days. The group spent an additional Rs 3 lakh on accommodation, food, and travel. They have a flight to Kolkata on Thursday night.
A group of 35 tourists from Kharagpur had arrived at their Pahalgam accommodation shortly after the terror attack. Saroj Kumar Masant, Soumitra Sardar, and Prabir Somra remained confined to their lodging, about three-four kilometres ahead of Pahalgam and Chandanwari Road. After an unsettling night on Tuesday, and staying in on Wednesday, they were permitted to leave on Thursday morning. They departed for Katra at 6 am to visit the Vaishno Devi temple, travelling via Anantnag and Jammu, reaching their destination by 2.30 pm.
Another group of 21 tourists from Arambagh cancelled their visit to Gulmarg and Pahalgam midway and travelled to Himachal Pradesh instead. "We reached Kashmir on April 21 after visiting Vaishno Devi temple. We were on the way to Gulmarg and Pahalgam on Wednesday but locals advised us not to venture into that zone now. We then decided that staying there would be risky. So, we chose to travel to Himachal Pradesh instead," said Prabhat Mondal.
A retired private sector employee from Kharagpur's Inda area, Masant said, "The situation in Pahalgam is still tense." Masant's group started their journey from Kharagpur on April 14, visiting Amritsar and Jammu before reaching Srinagar.
Fifty-nine Midnapore residents were five-six kilometres from the spot where the attack took place on Tuesday. The tourists said they spent the entire Tuesday on a bus. They stayed in a hotel for two nights before departing for Delhi on Thursday morning. Jumratan Bibi, Sekh Bablu, and their relatives said they went to Kashmir to make happy memories, but he trip will be remembered because of panic, tension, and a longing to escape the Valley.