A sharp rise in tourist footfall in Darjeeling on the onset of summer vacation has led to severe traffic congestion across the hills and intensified concerns over water scarcity.
With international travel taking a backseat after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Indians to prioritise domestic tourism, and rising fuel prices influencing holiday plans, Darjeeling has emerged as one of the most crowded destinations this May. The ongoing summer vacation has added to the rush.
Travel time from NJP and Siliguri to Darjeeling has increased from 4-5 hours to 7-8 hours in many cases Uddipan Nath
Uddipan Nath, a resident of New Town, who recently returned from the hills, said the congestion had made sightseeing almost impossible.
“There is overcrowding and the traffic is terrible. It took over three hours to reach Darjeeling from Ghoom, a journey that should take 15-20 minutes. Once you enter town and walk around, it is fine. But if you step out for sightseeing, the entire day is gone,” he said.
“It took us almost seven hours to reach Darjeeling from Tinchuley. There is an unprecedented traffic congestion in the evening between 4pm to 7pm. In my personal opinion, I think the traffic jam is caused by the toy train that ferries passengers around Darjeeling town for sightseeing,” said Somnath Roy Choudhury, a resident of Behala who is currently in Darjeeling.
Areas such as Ghoom, Kurseong, Kalimpong and Darjeeling town are witnessing heavy congestion Image credit: Md Saddam Rahaman
Biswajit Das, a professor at the University of Calcutta, said tourists continue to flock to the hills due to rising heat in the plains.
From Darjeeling, Das said, “People are escaping the heat and coming to the mountains during the summer recess. But the roads are packed. A journey that earlier took four to five hours from New Jalpaiguri is now taking seven to eight hours or more. If you leave early in the morning, there is still some chance of avoiding traffic. Otherwise, nobody can predict how long the journey will take,” he said.
The rush has also put pressure on water supply systems in Darjeeling and other hill towns.
Dawa Sherpa, who is currently in Kalimpong, said the post-election tourist influx had coincided with unpredictable rainfall. “There is no major water crisis in Ghoom yet, but Darjeeling town is facing shortages because water tankers are not always available,” he said.
Some tourists reported hotel booking cancellations because of inadequate water supply Uddipan Nath
Several tourists said that even some hotels warned them about limited water availability. Rajashree Chowdhury from Kolkata said their original hotel booking on Dr Zakir Hussain Road was cancelled because of a water shortage. “We had to quickly book another hotel near the Mall area,” he said.
Doma Wang, a restaurateur from Kolkata, said she noticed the strain during her recent visit. “There is overcrowding and the water crisis is visible too. Even a high-end restaurant in Kalimpong did not have running water in the restroom,” she said.
Bijoy Rai, who runs a homestay in Darjeeling, said that they receive water only twice a week and many smaller properties are surviving through rainwater harvesting.
“The larger hotels manage somehow, but smaller homestays without storage systems are struggling during this peak season,” he said.
The situation is expected to worsen this week because of traffic restrictions imposed in Siliguri during the visit of President Droupadi Murmu to Sikkim. Siliguri Police have announced diversions and temporary restrictions on tourist and commercial vehicles on May 26 and 28 along key routes leading to Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Sikkim.
Anirban Dutta, founder of Darjeeling Walks, said the crisis reflected the deeper problem of unsustainable tourism in the hills.
“The current model creates enormous pressure on local water resources and infrastructure. Travel cannot come at the cost of the destination’s survival. We need slower, low-impact tourism that respects the ecological limits of the hills,” he said.