Hills come alive as Pujas begin

SNS, Darjeeling, 30 September 2014: In Darjeeling, since the beginning of Mahalaya, Bhajans fills the air with the wake of dawn and days starts with tolling of the bells in temples while devotees make their way towards the holy shrines.
At night the glistening lights at homes cast their own different charm.
This is the atmosphere in the queen of Hills these days with Ghatasthapana already marking the beginning of Pujas starting since yesterday. Vacationers started to flock Darjeeling prior to the Pujas while the locals staying abroad also come back home to reunite with their families for the celebration and bazaars are seen packed with buyers.
This year, compared to last year, the flow of tourists in Darjeeling is ‘positive’ and the homeliers and the travel agencies are making more bookings.Last year, during this time of the year, Darjeeling was effected due to the stir launched in the Hills with statehood demand.
On the other hand, reports also suggest that the recent floods in Kashmir have diverted the flow of tourists towards the Hills.
One of the homeliers in Darjeeling, Mr Rajesh Rajak said: “During Pujas, the hotels usually witness huge rush of tourists and the domestic tourists visit Darjeeling.”
“Till the 8 of this month or until the Pujas end, almost every hotel room in Darjeeling is booked,” he said.
The secretary of Darjeeling Association of Travel Agents (DATA), Pradip Lama, asserted that the association this year has been catering more to domestic tourists than the international tourists.
“This season, domestic tourists are on 2-day visit in Darjeeling for sightseeing and they have also made bookings for Nathula, Peling and other places of Sikkim while a few have made plans for Kalimpong.”
Meanwhile, the state chief minister’s announcement to visit Sandakphu sometime during October has attracted many Bengali tourists to experience the enthralling view of Kanchenjunga and Mount Everest that commands the finest view from the highest point of West Bengal.
The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) is holding programmes for Pujas in Chowrasta from tomorrow which is being continued by Darjeeling Cultural and Tourism Festival programmes for a month.
On the other hand police in order to maintain law and order during the Pujas have started conducting ‘preventive arrests.’
It can be mentioned here that around 3.5 lakh domestic tourists visit Darjeeling annually. Half of the number is usually seen during the peak October-November season.Although the main economy of Darjeeling relies heavily upon tourists the administration and even the GTA has not thought it wise to implement a standard chart rate for tourist plying vehicles for sightseeing.