Darjeeling toy train resumes its daily train service between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling

9:48 AM

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Tourism

Siliguri, May 23: The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway will resume its daily train service between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling next week, more than five months after it had been rescheduled to thrice a week because of lack of diesel engines.

Narendra Mohan, the area officer of the DHR, said daily services between NJP and Darjeeling halted in January when one of the four diesel engines had developed problems.

"We had to run the services on alternate days, instead of everyday, because one of the diesel engines had developed a snag and was sent for repairs. We were short of engines and we had to reduce the number of trips on the route. Since January, we have been operating the trains on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays," Mohan said.

"But the engine has been restored and is back with the DHR. We will conduct trial runs to see if it is functioning properly and will commence regular services from NJP to Darjeeling by next week," he said.

Additional coaches have been attached to toy trains on the Darjeeling-Ghoom route since May 19 to cater to tourists.

"Normally, there are two first-class coaches but now there are four. The footfall of tourists has increased in the past one week. Two coaches were not enough," Mohan said. "We are planning to keep the additional coaches till June."

The four coaches can ferry around 120 passengers and the cost is Rs 630 per person.

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Three Gorkha youths rescued the tourist and grabbed the rapist in North Sikkim

1:13 PM

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West Bengal

Three Gorkha youths Biren Tamang, Priyanka Tamang & Rajiv Thapa from Gangtok, Sikkim successfully rescued the tourist gal and grabbed the rapist Taxi Driver Prem Rai (22) along with uncle and relatives of the tourist at the sub highway after Kabi Village of North Sikkim around 2 A.M. morning of 15th May’2016.

Priyanka Tamang received the late night call from her colleague residing at Siliguri , West Bengal mentioning that her uncle daughters are missing at Gangtok since many hours and wants cooperation from her side. Priyanka called her friend Biren Tamang and Rajiv Thapa about the incidence and later uncle of the missing tourist also met with Priyanka. 2 vechiles departed from the Gangtok in search of the missing gals , 1 vehicle carrying Priyanka, Biren & Rajiv and another vehicle carrying uncle of one gal and one relative of another tourist gal.

Around 2 AM on the notice of the Priyanka eyes vehicle was found the sub highway of North Sikkim and all of them rushed hurriedly and found that only one gal was there who was senseless. Priyanka taken care of that small gal and Driver Prem Rai was grabbed by others. Driver had used many filthy languages but again he was grabbed and taken to Phodong Police Station of North Sikkim were other 2 gals were there safely with the respected Sikkim Police personnel’s.

Three Gorkha youth  rescued the tourist and grabbed the rapist in North Sikkim

As per tourist girls statement Driver had given them some substance diluted mineral water and one gal became dizzy and other two flew from their place after getting scolded by the driver. So many stories are there as narrated by Priyanka whose brilliancy has able to rescue the gal and grabbed that rapist driver.

Phodong Police Station , North Sikkim later sent back that culprit to Sardar Thana , Gangtok along with Priyanka Tamang and group with Police Personnel’s and they reached Gangtok around 6 AM in the morning.

Priyanka Tamang have 2 sisters who are studying at Kolkatta, West Bengal and she thinks that every human being should take initiative every time to be part of humanism work. Humanism exists but it should be taken out without fear.

Priyanka Tamang is a Radio Jockey (RJ) at Radio Misty 95 FM Gangtok, Biren Tamang is the Film Director and have own production house name after White Horse Production and Rajiv Thapa is a College Student from Gangtok.

Shared by Suresh Lama, Social Activist Rangpo

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Darjeeling receives heavy hailstorm

5:13 PM

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Tourism

Very heavy hailstorm witnessed in Darjeeling town which was accompanied by wind and rain. Hailstones in the size of goldballs  battered roofs, trees, vehicles and people alike. Most of the places in the town received heavy hailstorm coupled with rain today. People got worried about electricity connections and transportation.

In the Morning, it was clear and sunny day in Darjeeling town but in the afternoon, it was a surprise when Darjeeling received season's first hail storm. The non stop Hailstorm is speculated to be 12 inches thick in some of the places.

The hailstorm have now finally stopped turning the hill town all white. Rahul Jha, a local resident, shared his experience on horrific hailstorm: "I haven't seen such a crazy hailstorm in my life." Soon People were out  playing with the hailstone, throwing it at others. Tourists and locals were seen taking photos at Chowrasta following the hailstorm. Spectacular sight of Darjeeling covered in hailstones... a sight many yearn for but a cause of many hardships for the residents..Will hit the tea plantations real bad.

Chowrasta in Darjeeling Hailstorm  31st March 2016

Meanwhile, the vehicular movement has been widely affected in and around the town, making it difficult for the drivers to negotiate the hailstorm-filled roads.


Here are some of the photos of today's  hailstorm in Darjeeling

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Air-conditioned bus service between Gangtok and Kolkata

10:06 AM

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Tourism

Gangtok, Feb. 17: The Sikkim government has announced a direct air-conditioned bus service between Gangtok and Kolkata on alternate days for the convenience of tourists.

The transport secretary, S.B.S. Bhaduria, said the fare of the trips was yet to be fixed and the state government had inked an agreement with the Bengal government for the service that was likely to start in March.

Transport minister D.T. Lepcha said yesterday: "We are soon starting a bus service from Gangtok to Kolkata and vice-versa, keeping in mind the convenience of tourists visiting Sikkim. The service will be on alternate days. We have found that it is difficult for visitors to get reservation during the peak tourism season. The new service will be of immense help to tourists."

Air-conditioned bus

A senior tourism official has informed that more than 50 per cent of the tourists visiting Sikkim are from Kolkata. Sikkim has two tourism seasons - March-April and September-November.

Bhaduria said five AC buses would ply between the capitals of Sikkim and Bengal. "Each bus will have 40 seats and television. The service is likely to start from March," he said.

The transport secretary said the Sikkim Nationalised Transport had inked an agreement with the Bengal government for the inter-state service. "A private party has been entrusted with the service, but it will have to pay a certain amount to the state government. The service will start once the fares are fixed."

At present, for travel between Kolkata and Gangtok, one has to change buses in Siliguri. The fare from Siliguri to Kolkata ranges from Rs 800 to Rs 1,200. The distance between Gangtok and Kolkata is around 600km.

Those travelling from Kolkata by train can get off at NJP and take a bus or taxi to Gangtok. As Sikkim has no airport, air travellers from Kolkata have to disembark at Bagdogra and take the road.

"The bus would start from Gangtok at 11am and reach Siliguri by 3pm. After an hour-long break, the bus will leave for Kolkata. It may take 16 hours to reach Kolkata from Gangtok," said Bhaduria.

He said the buses would be stationed at SNT terminus in Gangtok and Esplanade in Kolkata. The reservation counters will be set up in Gangtok, Siliguri and Kolkata.

Bhaduria said the bus service would also help students from Sikkim who were studying in Kolkata.


Source Telegraph

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Sikkim to get its railway line soon - gets green flag from Supreme Court

11:34 PM

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Tourism

The Supreme Court on Wednesday showed the green flag to a litigation-marred railway line from Sevoke in West Bengal to Rangpo in Sikkim, a project hanging fire since 2009 as wildlife activists and environmentalists are opposed to it.

The Sivok-Rangpo New Rail Line Project is a mere 44.98 km with only 7.6% of the tracks falling in the Himalayan state bordering China but its importance is immense from the strategic point of view and as a possible apparatus to accelerate socio-economic development of the people.

A top court bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur cleared the decks by permitting Northeast Frontier Railway’s plea to allow changing the status of more than 8.84 hectares of forest land in Mahananda wildlife sanctuary so that the project can be continued. It also directed the West Begal government to denotify the area within two months.

Indian Railways - a file photo

“The rail line will serve as a reliable mode of transportation and meet national defence requirements as well,” chief minister Pawan Chamling said.

The court instructed the railways to strictly adhere to environmental safeguards fixed by the national wildlife board, which approved the project in June 2015 but ringed it with tough guidelines.

To avoid loss of forests, 14 tunnels have been planned — the longest being 5,116 metres. The total tunnel length is about 38.552 km, about 85.86% of the total route. This means that a train will run through tunnels or cross 22 bridges for most of its journey.

The wildlife board had cleared the project with guidelines that tunnels should be built only at daytime, trains should run at restricted speed and modern technology, such as wireless animal tracking system, should be adopted to avoid accidents.

The top court underlined how critical the railway line is for Sikkim, which currently depends solely on national highway 10, a switchback of steep, landslide-prone rocky slopes that remains closed for days during monsoon.

The railways told the court how the state struggles for supplies during the rainy season.
An ambitious as well as prestigious project, with a budget of Rs 1,339.48 crore, it ran into trouble because the tracks will pass through Mahananda sanctuary and forest divisions of Kurseong, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and East Sikkim which are known for their rich wildlife diversity. Occasionally, wild elephants and other protected animals are mowed down by trains along another broad gauge line inside the sanctuary.

In the yet-to-be tabled second leg, the railway line is likely to reach Nathu La on the India-Tibet border.

(With inputs from Pramod Giri in Siliguri)

Source hindustantimes

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Gorkha runner wins Amway Darjeeling Police Marathon - Triumphs Over Kenyan and Ethiopian Runners

8:04 AM

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Tourism

Writes: Vivek Chhetri

The Amway Darjeeling Police Marathon had international participants, from as far away as Ethiopia and Kenya, but the winner in the male category was a Darjeeling runner.

Around 1,500 runners took part in the 21km half marathon which was flagged off at Sukhiapokhri today.

The event was organised by Darjeeling police in association with the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration to commemorate the 153th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

Ajay Chhetri, 22, from Shivgram in Darjeeling who started running after joining the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles two years ago, stole the show by winning in the male category. Punjab's Kiranjeet Kaur, 22, won in the women's category.

"When I joined the Army, the officers asked me to concentrate on marathons after watching me do cross-country running during training. It is then that I put on my running shoes. I came fourth in this marathon last year. I am happy to win this year," said Chhetri.

Ajay Chhetri, 22, from Shivgram in Darjeeling

In the past two years, Chhetri has run six half marathons across India.

Today, he completed the run, from Sukhiapokhri to Chowrasta, in 1 hour 10 minutes and 39 seconds.

From the start to the finish line, Chhetri held the lead with two Ethiopian and two Kenyan runners following him closely.

Tewodros Haile, 32, from Ethiopia, came second clocking 1 hour, 11 minutes and 5 seconds. "The run was beautiful, but I had never trained for a marathon in a hilly terrain. After 18km, I was extremely tired," he said.

Haile added that he has taken part in 11 marathons across the world. "I have run in Ukraine and United States among other countries. Even in India, I have participated in six marathons so far," he said.

The four Ethiopian and Kenyans runners came to know about the event from the Internet. "We usually browse the net to find out about marathons and that is how we came to Darjeeling," Haile said.

Vikash Kumar from Delhi was the second runner-up in the men's catergory.

In the women category, Kiranjeet clocked 1 hour 25 minutes 8 seconds. Seema Khatoon, from Delhi, and Monika Chowdhury, from Uttar Pradesh, were the first and second runners-up, respectively.

The winners in both men and women categories got a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh each.

The first and second runners-up won a Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 each, respectively.

Darjeeling superintendent of police, Amit P. Javalgi, said: "This year, we had runners from Ethiopia and Kenya and different parts of our country. Nearly 1,500 people ran, including 200 women. The event is organised to promote peace and harmony between the plains and the hills and promote Darjeeling as an environment-friendly tourist place. We are happy with the turnout.

Source: Telegraph

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Darjeeling to organize 60km cycle rally on 1st January 2016

10:05 AM

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Tourism

Darjeeling 24 Dec 2015 Adventure tour operators of Darjeeling, with support from the district administration and the police department, will organise a 60km cycle rally on January 1 with the twofold aim of promoting cycling in the hills as a tourism activity and in helping reduce pollution emitted by vehicles. The cycling event has been christened ‘Rally for Vehicle Free Day’ and will start from Chowrastha and end in Mirik.

According to the tour operators, cycling as a tourist activity is fast becoming a fad since the past two years and the demand from tourists and locals alike have forced them to think of promoting the activity extensively in the hills. Young entrepreneur Sangey Sherpa, who is a tour operator and one of the organising members, said, “The cycle rally is being held on New Year’s day. This is symbolic as we want the year 2016 to remain pollution free.

Presently, vehicles plying in the hills are excess causing rising pollution and affecting the weather pattern. The primary objective of the event is to spread awareness among people against excessive use of vehicles in order to curb rising pollution in the region. Besides, we also want to promote adventure tourism in the hills. Darjeeling is a tourist destination with many tourist spots, and we also want to promote the region as a traveller’s destination. Tourists should get the facility of cycling in the beautiful area during their stay.”

Asserting that cycling facilities are among the key demands of tourists, Urgen Sherpa, another tour operator and also a member of the event organising committee, said, “It has been two years or so now since tourists have started showing an interest in cycling as an activity. We have started offering mountain bikes on hire. Apart from tourists, locals are also keen showing interest in the activity. About 80 bookings are done every month, except during the monsoon season.”

According to Urgen, adventure tour operators who provide bicycles on hire charge anything between Rs800 and Rs1,000 per day. He added that tourists usually prefer cycle trips in the outskirts of Darjeeling town in places such as Rambhi, Sukhaypokhari and Lamahatta. “We also offer packages that include a cycle ride up to Dhotrey from Darjeeling following which there is a trekking route to Tonglu and a night halt. The following day starts with a trek up to Manebhanjyang and back to Darjeeling. We not only offer cycles on hire, but also arrange for accommodation and food along with guides. This roughly comes up to Rs3,500 per person to Rs4,000,” said Urgen.

Speaking about the upcoming cycle rally, Sangey said, “Until now, 60 people have registered for participation in the cycle rally and many more are expected to join on the day of the event. We believe the message of using vehicles in a limited manner will spread further.”

(EOIC)

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