This Puja, check into more cottages at tourist hotpots... NEW FACILITIES TO COME UP AT TIGER HILL, GAZOLDOBA AND TONGLU AT A COST OF RS 11CR

BIRESWAR BANERJEE -, TT, 08 Mar 2019, Siliguri: The state forest department will build cottages and carry out landscaping in three tourist destinations in the hills, including Tiger Hill near Darjeeling, and the plains.

The work has been assigned to the tourism department, which has drawn up the plan to increase accommodation for visitors.

Apart from Tiger Hill -- a hotspot of tourists seeking to view sunrise -- the other spots are Tonglu, a hamlet on way to Sandakphu, and "Bhorer Alo," the mega tourist at Gajoldoba. Gajoldoba, 30km from Siliguri, is located on the right bank of the Teesta.

"There is an old chalet (a wooden house, usually seen in the Swiss Alps) that was built by the British in Tiger Hill. We will renovate the chalet and will build four more cottages for tourists' accommodation," Anjan Guha, the divisional forest officer of the parks & gardens (north), said.

According to him, the chalet was torched during the Gorkhaland agitation in 1986. The cottages, he said, will be built by using wooden planks and natural items. There will be minimum usage of concrete at the site, said the official.

In Tonglu, around 100km from Siliguri, and a stop for trekkers headed from Manebhanjan to Sandakphu, four double-bedded cottages and two dormitories will be built. Each will have 10 beds.

"These will help more trekkers to get accommodations during their journey," said Guha.

As of now, some private accommodations are available in Tonglu.

At Bhorer Alo, which is spread over an area of 208 acres, the forest department's wing will build 15 more cottages. As of now, there are six. "There is a huge demand of the cottages. That is why more cottages have been planned so that more visitors can stay here," said a source in the tourism department.

Around Rs 11 crore will be spent at the three sites. "We want the work to finish ahead of the Durga Puja tourist season that will commence on September this year," the source said..