Darjeeling Hills ailing, tourists turn other way - Rock garden destroyed & ropeway defunct

Darjeeling, May 7: Brand Darjeeling has failed to deliver, tour operators feel.

The looming Himalayas are still there and so are the tea gardens carpeting the verdant slopes and the tiny train negotiating the breathtaking loops, but all of them are either suffering from too much exploitation without an infrastructure to tackle it, or too little leaving much to be tapped.

Rock garden and Gangamaya Park have been consigned to the pages of history following the devastating landslide caused by Cyclone Aila last year. The Darjeeling Rangeet Valley Ropeway has not reopened since the fatal accident on October 19, 2003, in which three cabins jumped the cable, killing four tourists.

Visits to tea gardens depend on luck, while stay in the colonial garden bungalows is almost impossible. The famed Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has failed to live up to its expectation as an international tourist attraction.

“International tourists nowadays stay in Darjeeling for two days only. Earlier, it was three days. Something needs to be done urgently,” said Suresh Periwal, the chairman of the north Bengal and Sikkim chapter of the Indian Association of Tour Operators.

“In the mornings, we take the tourists to Tiger Hills and a monastery in Ghoom. This is followed by a train ride and visits to Darjeeling zoo, Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and the Tibetan Refugee Centre. The second day is reserved for a tea garden visit, which depends on a lot of factors,” said Periwal.

Till a few months ago, gardens did not allow visitors to enter their factory. “Visiting a garden to see the manufacturing process entirely depends on luck as the management might suddenly decide against allowing any visitors.”

The DHR was not able to operate its steam engines recently because of poor quality of coal. “Apart from the bare minimum facilities, the DHR has nothing to flaunt,” said a visibly upset Periwal.

Nobody is sure why the ropeway has not yet been reopened. A WBFDC official said the repair of the ropeway had been completed and the matter lies with PWD. “The matter has even reached the chief minister and the chief secretary’s desk. We are unaware of the final decision,” said a forest official.

Tea garden officials agree that many estates wanting to use their bungalows for tourism have either not received all required permissions or have developed a cold feet because of the political turmoil in the hills.

Only three gardens, Tamsong, Ghoomti and Glenburn, have opened up to tourism. “But these estates have only 4-6 rooms each, which is insufficient to meet the demands,” said a tour operator.

One of Darjeeling’s biggest attraction, a trek to Sandakphu — the only place on the earth from where four peaks above 8,000 meters, Mt. Everest, Mt Kanchenjunga, Mt Lotse and Mt Makalu — can be viewed, has failed to tap its potential. Once Singalila, where Sandakphu is located, was declared a national park, the forest department ordered that trekkers could not pitch a tent in the area. “What is the charm if the trekkers can’t stay in tents?” asked Periwal.

The lack of a specific tourism policy is hitting Darjeeling hard. The Telegraph has found that every work related to tourism brings a host of state departments in play, like the DGHC, tourism, forest, PWD and land and land reforms (for tea gardens). “Yes, a single window system for addressing all tourism-related issues is the only solution,” said a tour operator.

Many have suggested that state should form a specific board for the Darjeeling hills, which would include the district magistrate, principal secretaries of all the tourism-related departments and the DGHC so that the irritants can be removed. “Even if the heads of all the departments meet twice a year, a lot of issues can be solved,” said another tour operator.

Source: The Telegraph