Toy train report plan for Unesco

AVIJIT SINHA, TT, Siliguri: Indian Railways will send a detailed report to the World Heritage Centre of Unesco on the damage caused to heritage properties of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) and how its services were disrupted during the four-months of agitation in the hills.

A senior railway official on Monday said that officials of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) had been asked to prepare the report and submit it to the ministry.

"We will send the report to Unesco. It is necessary to share the information with them as DHR is a World Heritage recognised by the Unesco. It will contain all details about what has happened to the heritage properties, the losses and other relevant information," said Subrata Nath, the executive director (heritage) of the railway board, over phone from Delhi.

During the agitation, two toy train stations, Tindharia and Gayabari, were torched by suspected Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters. They had also ransacked a portion of the Elysia Building, the DHR headquarters, in Kurseong.

The railways had decided to suspend all the DHR services as they were concerned over the safety of people travelling in the toy trains during the agitation.

After the shutdown was withdrawn, the railways have resumed only a few services. They are carrying out repairs in some stretches of the tracks between Sukna and Ghoom stations. All the services, they said, would start only after the repairs are done.

"Repair works of the two stations which were set on fire are yet to start. We feel the ministry will approve additional funds after it receives the report," said an official of NFR.

Back in 1999, DHR was accorded the World Heritage status by the Unesco.

During the current phase of the agitation, Unesco had written to the railways, expressing concern over the situation and had sought information from them.

"A team from Unesco had even started working in the hills to prepare the CCMP which would be followed in due course for conservation and management of the world heritage. But because of the agitation, they were forced to leave. We have contacted them as situation has returned to normal now. They are expected to arrive in Darjeeling and resume their work soon," said Nath.