Sunrise at Tiger Hill will soon be a walk away!

Bibhas Bhattacharyya, HT, 17 Jul 2016, KOLKATA: The days of numerous visits to the Tiger Hill to catch a glimpse of the first sun rays lighting up Kanchenjunga — including the inconvenience of waking up at 3 am and making a four hour trip — may soon be over as the state tourism department is building a tourist resort on Tiger Hill, a spot that didn’t have any accommodation so far.

McKintosh Burn will begin construction of the building before the Pujas and the work may be complete within a couple of years.

“We have, indeed, taken up the project and have entrusted McKintosh Burn with the job. The firm has been asked to prepare a project report. We are hopeful that they will be able to begin construction before the Pujas,” tourism minister Gautam Deb told HT.

“The target is to complete the building before the 2017 monsoon. There will be accommodation for about 20 persons apart from a couple of rooms that will be reserved for VIPs,” a senior official of the construction firm said.

Tiger Hill is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the Darjeeling Hills. Located at a height of 2,590 metres, it affords a panoramic view of the Kanchenjunga. It is so positioned that visitors standing atop could enjoy a stunning view of the entire Kanchenjunga range when the icy peaks wear a golden halo cast by the sun even before it is visible on the horizon.

It is said that Tagore visited Tiger Hill at least seven times, but missed out on the heavenly sight every time.