After 8 years Mirik Lake in Dist. Darjeeling gets some mending

DARJEELING: Mirik Lake, a popular tourist destination located at the foothills of Kurseong subdivision, is finally getting renovated with the initiative of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC).

In 2003-2004, a project was undertaken by the DGHC to beautify the lake and it was sanctioned by the Centre under the National Lake Conservation (NLC) scheme. However, the project failed to take off following some technical difficulties. But things have again taken off in the right direction with the DGHC pursuing the matter with the central government.

"DGHC faced several technical difficulties and only some work could be undertaken. After the recommendation of an advisory committee, formed by the state urban development department, we have made some revision in the old project plans and are now ready to start work," said Anil Verma, the DGHC administrator. The 6-member panel has technical experts and engineers from IIT Kharagpur.

So far, the process of weeding the area, construction of the boat stand and renovation of a lodge, owned by the DGHC, at a cost of Rs 60 lakh have been taken up. "We hope to complete the beautification of Mirik Lake in a couple of months," added Verma.

Disposal of waste and sewage water from the local houses and siltation pollute the lake and this needs to be checked immediately. "Since the lake is surrounded by residential apartments, all the wastes and sewage water are diverted towards the lake. Another problem is the collection of debris from streams located on the upper fringes whenever there is a rainfall. We need to address these problems soon," pointed out Verma.

The Mirik Lake is a popular destination and tour operators offer tourists a full day tour of the areas, besides other spots in the Darjeeing subdivision. However, tourists, lately, have been complaining about the lack of facilities and the poor condition. Besides, the lush green tea gardens surrounding Mirik, tourist can also take boat rides.

The project cost has been pegged at over Rs 4 crore, as there was a delay in starting the work. "Initially, the project cost was fixed at Rs 4 crore, but the delay and additional works mean the estimate will rise," Giving a proper idea The exact estimate is tough At the moment we cannot say by how much though,"said Verma.

Source: Times of India

Darjeeling Mall makeover takes off

Darjeeling: The DGHC has started revamping the Mall and the first phase of the Rs 9 crore project for Darjeeling’s famous promenade is expected to be completed in five months.

Nearly Rs 2 crore has been sanctioned for the first phase which includes an amphitheatre and landscaping the park where it will come up. Dismantling the band stand or the “hawa ghar” for an unhindered view of the mountains will be part of the second phase of the makeover.

P.R. Mehta, an architect from Delhi, has been hired as a consultant for the project.

“The entire revamp will be taken up in two phases. During the first phase, the park will be renovated,” said Anil Verma, the administrator of the DGHC.

The revamp of the Mall, with a daily footfall of 1,000 in peak seasons, has probably been propelled by Mamata Banerjee’s announcement to turn Darjeeling into Switzerland. In November, the state government had brought in RITES to draw up a comprehensive tourism master plan for the Queen of Hills.

But the Mall overhaul is a wholly DGHC initiative. The amphitheatre with a seating arrangement for 300 people will be set up at Brabourne Park.

“Work has just started and we expect to complete the project within the next four to five months. The open-air theatre in the park will have a very comfortable seating arrangement for about 250-300 people. The lighting arrangement in the park and its landscape will also be worked out. Green rooms and lavatories will also come up,” said Verma.

He said Rs 2 crore had been sanctioned for the first phase of the project. “Work has started as per chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s earlier announcement for the need for an integrated development plan for Chowrastha (or the Mall),” said Verma.

Brabourne Park is not a favourite with tourists. Darjeeling has around 3.5 lakh domestic tourists annually and another 50,000 foreign visitors. “During the peak season, almost 2,000 tourists arrive in Darjeeling town every day. Of them, 1,000 tourists can be found in the Mall in the afternoon,” said a tour operator.

The park turns slushy during monsoons. The DGHC under Subash Ghisingh had constructed a much-hyped musical fountain in the park for Rs 20 lakh in 2006. The fountain needed 10,000 gallons of water to function. But with the Darjeeling municipality unable to supply potable water to its residents, the fountain was bound to go dry and it stopped working after a year.

Last year, after the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha replaced the GNLF at the Darjeeling municipality, the steel seating arrangement in front of the fountain was dismantled and a martyr’s column was erected in the park.

The estimate for developing the Mall has been pegged around Rs 8-9 crore. “The proposal had been sent to the Centre based on the GTA agreement. Till the grants arrive, DGHC will fund the project,” said Verma. The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration agreement has provision for allocating funds for hill tourism.

During the second phase, the “hawa-ghar”— the concrete structure where the bands, specially that belonging to the police have been playing since the colonial era — will be dismantled. “The hawa-ghar is obstructing the panoramic view of the hills and the designers have decided to do away with it. Instead, proper seating facilities will be made, though we will retain the old wooden benches that are here. The lighting system will also be improved,” said Verma.

Earlier, the Darjeeling Police used to operate an electronic temperature board at the tourist assistance booth at the Mall. It was a huge hit among tourists and locals but it stopped functioning more than two years ago. The police have also stopped playing instrumental music in the Mall through its music system.

Source: The Telegraph

Darjeeling ropeway gets to breath after 8 yrs of closure

The Darjeeling Rangeet Valley Passenger Ropeway in Darjeeling was reopened for the public today after more than 8 year freeze.

The Ropeway is a joint venture by the West Bengal Forest Development Corporation and Conveyor and Ropeway Services (CRS). "Chief minister Mamata Banerjee was supposed to inaugurate the revamped services. However owing to her present busy schedule she could not make it. She will be here in March to do the honours. Today's opening is a mere formality. We hope that the services will definitely boost tourism of Darjeeling. It is also provides direct and indirect livelihood to many," NC Dutta, chief executive officer of the CRS, said.

However forest department officials remained inconspicuous during the reopening run.

A major tourist attraction, the services had been closed down following a fatal accident on October 19, 2003 which had resulted in the death of 4 passengers and had critically injured 11.

With demands of the reopening of the Ropeway from different quarters, the chief minister had assured that it would be functional from October 2011 (Durga Pujas). However owing to technical hitches the deadline could not be met.

Following a thorough survey by the Metallurgical and Engineering Consultants (India) Limited (Mecon), this central government undertaking had furnished a list of technical recommendations including modern safety features.

Last month, the State Public Works Department had issued a no objection certificate for the Ropeway to resume services following a survey.

"We have carried out all the recommendations prescribed by Mecon Ltd. The ropeway services have been overhauled, upgraded and modernised. It is safe," claimed Dutta.

10 gondolas will undertake the 2km run between Singamari, adjacent to the St Joseph's School, North Point, on the outskirts of the Darjeeling town at 6,500ft to Vah Tukvar tea garden at 6,000ft.

"I am very lucky to be the first to undertake this journey. The view of the Mount Kanchenjunga and the tea garden from the ropeway is truly breathtaking," Antara Datta, a tourist from Kolkata, said.

It was a day of rejoicing for the 26 odd staff of the ropeway and the small businesses (mainly eateries) around the ropeway.

"We are really happy that the services have resumed. Till now we were looking after technical aspects preparing for this day," Amit Karki, an employee, said.

The ropeway was started in 1968 by the forest development department and comprised only a single car which ran one way. Later, it was upgraded to 16 cars and went to and fro from North Point to Singla Bazar, 8 km away.

The Ropeway had been revamped in 1988.

Source: Hindustan Times

Safe message for visitors

Tour operators in north Bengal have assured tourists through a campaign that the region was safe and all facilities in place for visitors.

According to the operators, roads leading to different destinations across the hills, except North Sikkim, are open and visitors can travel in the region during Puja without any problems.

Representatives of the Eastern Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators’ Association (EHTTOA), who held a seminar on Tuesday to mark World Tourism Day, said helpdesks would be set up in six places from October 1 to 8 to guide tourists who would visit the region during Durga Puja.

The counters that would be set up in New Jalpaiguri railway station, Bagdogra airport and Tenzing Norgay Central Bus Terminus, among other places, will be manned by tour operators and hotelliers.

“North Bengal development minister Gautam Deb has insisted that our members should be posted at the helpdesks to extend co-operation to tourists reaching any of the entry points during Puja holidays,” Raj Basu, an adviser to the EHTTOA, said.

According to Basu, the industry has suffered an annual loss of 65 per cent in the past three-four years because of the political disturbance in the hills.

“Things were favourable this season, which would commence from this weekend, and the season was historical considering the rate of inquiries and the bookings. Things, however, were affected to some extent because of the recent earthquake but we want to pass (on) a clear message to the visitors that the situation is perfectly normal here and there is nothing to worry,” he said.

The EHTTOA introduced an “any time auto” service in town yesterday to handle the rush of visitors.

“Any person can call up (9434891056) and ask for an auto-rickshaw that would be available round the clock,” Samrat Sanyal, the EHTTOA president, said.

He added that the service has started with a few auto-rickshaws that are being parked along Hill Cart Road.

But later more vehicles would be introduced depending on the demand, he said.

Source: The Telegraph

Seven green hamlets ready to take guests Villagers in kalimpong and dooars to open homes for tourists

Seven forest villages are being readied for tourists wanting to visit the hills and the Dooars to unwind during the Pujas close to the wild green world.

Forest dwellers living in small hamlets within reserve forest areas in Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts have joined hands to initiate community-based tourism to improve their socio-economic condition.

Buoyed by a proposal from the National Forum for Forest People and Forest Workers, many of them have readied infrastructure like accommodation in at least seven locations in Kalimpong and the Dooars.

“There are 220 forest villages in north Bengal. Of these, we have identified 20 villages and have readied seven locations where tourists can visit right now,” said Saumitra Ghosh, a senior representative of the National Forum, today.

Around six lakh people reside in the 200 or so forest hamlets.

“Considering the idyllic locations of the forest villages, we had selected them for promotion for sites of community-based tourism. Each village will have a committee which will monitor all activities associated with tourism.”

People can come and stay in the homes of the forest dwellers, enjoy the local cuisine and witness their lifestyle and culture at close quarters. Added to these, excursions to forests, mountains and historical ruins like Buxa Fort would be made arranged for them, he added.

In the hills, the selected hamlets include Mungpoo, made famous by Rabindranath Tagore — the bard visited the place four times between 1935 and 1940 — and the orange and the cinchona plantations.

Located near it is Sitong, another hamlet famous for oranges. Chatakpur, close to Kurseong, is also an idyllic location.

“In the Dooars, we have selected villages like Buxa Sadare, Lepchakha, which is also in the Buxa hills and Kathambari and Samsing, both located near Lataguri. People can stay in local homes while enjoying nature and wildlife at Gorumara National Park and the Chapramari wildlife sanctuary nearby. Buxa has attractions like the tiger reserve, Buxa Fort and Rupam Valley. Lepchakha is a Drukpa village where tourists can enjoy traditional sports like archery,” a National Forum representative said. Drukpa is a tribe with origins in Bhutan.

Committees have been formed with local villagers as members. They will apprise the others of the hospitality they are expected to extend to the visitors.

“Since the villages are ready, we have decided to take the help of a local tourist service provider to campaign for our locations and help bring in visitors, make arrangements for transport and book accommodations,” Ghosh said.

He said the charges had not been fixed yet.

“But a portion of the earnings would be handed over to the agency that will do the campaign as service charge.”

Debashis Chakraborty, who runs Wind Oz Tours and Travels in Siliguri — the enterprise that will act as intermediary between tourists and forest villagers — said the firm had already started working at each location and initiated a planned campaign.

“We are eyeing the ensuing season and hope to bring in tourists to these villages. Community-based tourism is gaining popularity by the day and many tourists, while choosing remote and quiet places to rejuvenate themselves during vacations, prefer homestays to get a taste of nature,” he said.

Forest dwellers like Shyamal Rava of the Dooars and Govind Roka of Kurseong said village tourism would open a new opportunity for them. “There are several educated youths in villages who have not got much employment opportunity,” Roka said.

“This initiative would help them get involved in an economic activity from their homes itself. Absence of jobs and opportunities have prompted many youths, who have worked and conserved the forests and wildlife over generations, to move out of their villages. We feel that through introduction of tourism, economic problems of forest villagers would be mitigated to a considerable extent.”

The Telegraph

Darjeeling may be deserted this Puja

KOLKATA: Bookings for Darjeeling, once the favourite Puja vacation destination, are finding no takers. The numbers have fallen so low this time that even elite hotels are ready to give away rooms at 50% discount but still cannot find anyone, thanks to the turmoil in the Hills.

Darjeeling is facing an indefinite strike since Sunday evening.

There has been a shift towards North Bengal and Sikkim instead. Hotels and resorts, run by both state corporations and private operators, are overbooked. Tour operators say rush will continue till Diwali. In fact, many tour firms are discouraging people from heading for Darjeeling because they are afraid tourists will get stranded in the Hills and ask for cancellation dues.

State tourism department officials say their guest houses in Darjeeling are "more or less empty" throughout the Pujas. "Last year, the situation was slightly better, perhaps because there was a lull in political turbulence. Not so this time," said an official.

"The general feeling is that Darjeeling is no longer safe for travel. Too much political turbulence make tourists feel uncomfortable about visiting Darjeeling," said Debal Ghosh, spokesperson of West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation.

Till a few months ago, there were many inquiries from visitors of other states and foreigners too. But the brutal daylight murder of Madan Tamang on May 21 in an area frequented by tourists slammed the door on bookings. "People feared that it would trigger clashes. They realised that peace in the Hills was gone. Darjeeling still remains close to tourists' heart, but they prefer North Bengal and Sikkim for now," said Anil Punjabi, eastern India chairperson of Travel Agents Federation of India.

From Mahalaya onwards, at least 5,000-7,000 people would flock to Darjeeling daily. This year, not even 5% of that number is going towards the hill station, said Punjabi. "Tourists from Spain, France, Japan and Thailand made up the maximum number of foreigners in Darjeeling. This time, when they are seeing us for bookings, they clearly tell us they they have been asked by their countries not to visit Darjeeling," Punjabi said.

Darjeeling hoteliers did not want to comment directly. "August and September are lean periods anyway and are non-indicative of what might happen during the Pujas," said an official at Windamere. Rakesh Razzak, spokesperson of Anand Palace, said: "We do have some inquiries from within and outside the state. The Pujas are still two months off and we hope things will get better by then."

Source: TNN

Darjeeling and polpulation explosion

Darjeeling, April 15: Once a health sanatorium for the tired British working in the plains, Darjeeling has now turned into a “glorified slum” with every infrastructure starting to crumble because of population explosion.

There are no provisions for residents to take a stroll around the town and if one owns a car, it is virtually impossible to drive around — thanks to lack of parking space and contracted pavements most of which have been narrowed down by encroachments.

Darjeeling today is the most densely populated hill town in the world. According to statistics compiled by the state government in 2001, this tourist destination has the highest human density among all mountainous regions of the world with a population of 1,266 persons for every square km.

“There is no space to breathe in town. Darjeeling is now a glorified slum,” said Deepak Singh, a resident.

Traffic snarls are nothing new. “On all the 10 roads managed by the Darjeeling municipality, vehicles line up along one side narrowing down the thoroughfares further,” admitted a senior official.

Cars line up bumper-to- bumper for a stretch of more than 2km along 18 Lebong Cart Road at any time. “There are more than 40 taxi syndicates which operate from the town but there is no single parking space apart from Motor Stand which is too small to handle the volume of almost 1,000 vehicles a day,” the official said. The residents, too, are to be blamed. “People just do not go to Motor Stand to board taxis. They hop on to the vehicles at any part of the town they want.”

The one-way route introduced by the traffic department has not helped much. “The traffic is so huge that there is no space for them to move about freely. So let us not talk about the predicament the pedestrians have to face as they, too, have to use the same road because of lack of pavements,” said Rajesh Subba, another resident.

The municipality has recently identified three places — Dali, Old Bus Stand and the vegetable market — in town to set up parking lots. “We have just made a proposal, which will be placed before the state government in May. We are hopeful that the projects will be approved or else there is no solution to the traffic problem,” said Amal Kanti Ray, the subdivisional officer of Darjeeling Sadar and also the head of civic body.

Many believe that since Darjeeling cannot expand — it is hemmed in by tea gardens and forests on four sides — long term traffic solution can only be arrived at if efforts are made to set up a satellite township.

“Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had promised to study a proposal to set up a township at Lapchajat (about 20km from Darjeeling) but then nothing has come out of it,” said an official who was present when Bhattacharjee made the announcement in 2003.

All government offices, schools and hospitals are confined within a 2.5km radius from the heart of the town. It would make sense if all government offices are relocated to a single complex outside the town. This would largely streamline traffic and space too would be available to set up parking zones, the official added.

The municipality has submitted a proposal to the government to dismantle the residential and market complexes it owns to come up with parking spaces on the ground floors. “The proposal has not yet been sanctioned,” he said.

Source: The Telegraph