 |
| Refuge in loco shed for ever? |
Darjeeling, Oct. 4: The world heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) seems to have run out of steam.
The DHR’s decision to run the popular joy ride with diesel engine has peeved the tour operators in the hills, who said the visitors would feel “betrayed” by the move.
Diesel engine has been used to haul the train in Darjeeling-Ghoom-Darjeeling section for the past five days.
“Tourists, especially the foreigners, come to Darjeeling largely to enjoy joy rides, for which steam engines are used. Suddenly, the train is being pulled by a diesel engine and the tourists feel they have betrayed,” said Suresh Periwal, chairman, Indian Association of Tour Operators (north Bengal and Sikkim chapter).
“Many foreigners have refused to board the diesel engine-powered train. We, along with other tour operators abroad, had marketed the joy rides, saying that the train would be hauled by the steam engine. Because of the DHR decision, we are losing our face,” said Periwal.
The steam ride is a big draw for tourists as the puffing engine and its unique hoot and the coal-filled smoke have their own charms.
Moreover, the steam engines used by the DHR trace its origin to the British Raj and are steeped in history.
“The newly introduced diesel engine does not have the charm to attract the tourist,” said an operator.
Subrata Nath, director, DHR, said they had nowhere committed that the joy trains would always be pulled by the steam engine.
“You can check the records. If the tour operators sold the joy rides by saying that steam engines would be powering the trains, they are at fault,” said Nath.
The director reasoned that they were using diesel engines for the joy ride to clear more tourists. “If we use the steam engines, we can attach only three bogies. Diesel engines can pull four bogies and more passengers can be carried,” said Nath.
The director said the DHR had not completely withdrawn the steam services.
“If tourists are really keen on taking the steam engine ride, they can avail of the service between Darjeeling and Kurseong,” said Nath.
A ride in Darjeeling-Ghoom-Darjeeling section costs Rs 240 and there are two services a day.
The tour operators said tourists generally preferred one-and-a-half hour joy ride to the three-and-a-half hour ride to Kurseong. “The Kurseong ride is, too, time consuming for the tourist who also wants to go sight seeing,” said an operator.
Adding to the tour operators’ woes is the infrequent broadband connections. For the past four days, Internet services have been down in Darjeeling town. Most tour operators depend on the Internet to conduct their business.
A.K. Mondal, divisional engineer (hills), said: “There were some problems with the optical fibre and we are trying to solve it. The services should be restored soon.”