UN BODY MEET THIS MONTH TO FINALISE CONSERVATION PLAN Unesco steam for toy train revamp

BIRESWAR BANERJEE, TT, 14 February 2019, Siliguri: Unesco will meet stakeholders and railway officials later this month to finalise a conservation plan for the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR).

An agreement for preparing the Comprehensive Conservation & Management Plan (CCMP) was signed in January 2017 between the railway ministry and Unesco for the century-old hill network.

The railways are paying Unesco Rs 4.2 crore for the plan.

"The representatives of Unesco will invite stakeholders like representatives of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, tour operators, residents and transporters along with stakeholders to apprise them about the plan and progress of BON VOYAGE the work taken up by Unesco," said C.P. Gupta, the divisional railway manager of the Katihar division of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) under which the DHR functions.

The DRM also announced more facilities for DHR by March this year. "We have already introduced two air-condi- tioned coaches and two vista-dome coaches for toy train. Four more AC coaches and two more vistadome coaches will be added in the toy train services by March this year. Also, one dining coach is operational in the evening ride from Siliguri and another such coach will be added next month," Gupta said.

The vista-dome coaches are railway compartments having large glass windows and glass ceilings. These coaches provide a wider view. The railways plan to introduce similar coaches in some of the trains which pass through the Dooars.

Gupta said initiatives had been taken to make all steam locos of DHR operational by mid-2019. "There are 13 steam locos, of which eight are operational now.".