Darj Himalayan Rly support group funds to power toy train

Amitava Banerjee, THT, DARJEELING: Paul Whittle, vicechairman of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society of England, has expressed satisfaction over the ongoing restoration work of the damaged railway tracks of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), a UNESCO world heritage site. The society has pooled in ` 10 lakh with which they plan to support DHR welfare projects.

A landslide had damaged DHR tracks at Paglajhora in June 2010. A bigger landslide had damaged tracks at Tindharia in September 2012. This has forced the DHR to operate from Siliguri to Rongtong and from Darjeeling to Kurseong. The stretch between Paglajhora and Tindharia has been closed.

Whittle, who is on a twoweek tour of India to take stock of the current situation, said, “I visited the landslide sites. While repair work is on the verge of completion at Paglajhora, major repairs is still pending at Tindharia. However, I am satisfied with the progress.”

The vice-chairman has already written to railway authorities to speed up work at Tindharia in order to complete it by mid- February. However, he has not received any response. “In mid February, 60 tourists from UK are scheduled to visit Darjeeling in two groups. The visit is mainly to take a ride on the DHR,” he added. “We have collected ` 10 lakh from our members for support projects for the preservation of the DHR. We will give the amount to any person or organisation for projects we find viable. We are also corresponding with DHR authorities as to what projects could be carried out with this amount,” added Whittle. This is the first time that this support group is funding projects. “This is aimed at building on a strong existing relationship with friends and partners of DHR,” said Whittle.