Chitwan, August 18

Tourist hotels in Chitwan have suffered damage worth Rs 150 million from recent floods that hit several parts of the Tarai region.

According to Regional Hotel Association, Sauraha vice-chairperson Bheshraj Duwadi, there were previously some 600 visitors staying in the hotels. Most of them, however, have left the hotels after the recent floods. “Except for a few, there are no tourists in Sauraha now. Even the bookings are being cancelled,” he said. Duwadi said as many as 110 hotels were submerged by the floodwaters in Sauraha. “Of these hotels, 90 per cent can be brought back to business in one month,” he said, adding the remaining hotels near the Rapti river might take six months to return to operation.

Floods from the river has left nearby restaurants and hotels filled with slush and mud while at some places hotel rooms on the bottom floor still remain water-logged.

Meanwhile, the Regional Hotel Association of Sauraha issuing a statement has asked for concession on interest of loan taken by local entrepreneurs, citing losses in recent floods.