Not convinced by the assurances given by the Morcha leaders about the safety of tourists during the bandh, tourists were seen desperately trying to leave the Hills as early as possible.

“Families checked in at odd hours at our Siliguri hotel,” said Vikash Kothari, regional director of the Sinclairs group. “We were unable to provide accommodation to around 100 people on Monday,” he added.

When Morcha leaders announced indefinite bandh on Monday, there were around 40,000 tourists in Darjeeling and Sikkim, as this was the last week of summer vacations.

In Darjeeling, tourists continued with their return journey even during the night. Taxi operators charged almost triple the amount of normal fares. The taxi fare for the Darjeeling-Siliguri trip is normally between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000 but from Monday the operators began charging around Rs 6,000.

“We have to charge double as once we reach Siliguri, we will not get any passenger on our return journey,” said Pradeep Saha of Hill Queen tours .

On Tuesday morning the situation in Sikkim turned worse, as Siliguri-bound tourists were stopped by cadres of Morcha at Melli check point. The Sikkim’s Tourism department, however, arranged for army vehicles to ferry tourists to Siliguri. “The Sikkim government is trying to negotiate with the Morcha to stop the blockade at Melli,” said Gyamsko Bhutia, Junior tourist officer, Sikkim government.

At Pelling, around 2,500 tourists were stranded on Monday since there was a scarcity of hotel rooms and taxis. “We are trying to reach Siliguri but there is no money in any of the ATMs here,” said Debjani Kar, a tourist who had come to visit with her family.

In Siliguri too, many tourists had to spend the night at the bus terminus and on railway platforms. The West Bengal government has arranged for additional trains and buses for them.