NFR claims efforts to preserve DHR heritage...TOY TRAIN FANS SAY LACK OF CLEAR PLAN RESULTS IN LOSS OF RAIL'S UNIQUENESS

AVIJIT SINHA, TT, 17 Jul 2019, Siliguri: Senior officials of the Northeast Frontier Railway said on Tuesday that they were putting their best efforts to protect the heritage train service of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and highlighted the need for cooperation from the state and local bodies in the hills and the foothills.

"We have engaged additional officers for better conservation of the DHR. Also, the Unesco is preparing the Comprehensive Conservation & Management Plan (CCMP) and we intend to implement it in a full-fledged manner. So far as the two stations, which had got damaged in 2017, are concerned, we are waiting for recommendations from Unesco as those need to be rebuilt in such a manner so that they regain the same heritage look," Sanjeeva Roy, general manager, NFR, told The Telegraph on Tuesday.

About a week back, as the World Heritage Committee of Unesco had met in Baku of Azerbaijan, serious concerns were expressed by experts over the conservation of DHR. A number of decisions were reached, among which include a request to the Centre to prepare a comprehen- A DHR toy train sive report on conservation of the railway property and place it before Unesco by February next year.

It was also recommended that the Centre should invite a reactive monitoring mission which means a team of experts from Unesco and its advisory bodies will visit the DHR and check out its status of conservation.

"Also, there are proposals to create buffer zones on both sides of the track to keep it unhindered but we need land for it. We feel the state and the local bodies should also realise the importance of this heritage railway and work jointly with us to conserve and protect DHR," he said.

The concerns of Unesco has also left members of the UK-based Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society (DHRS) worried.

The DHRS, that has members from different parts of the globe, has issued a release on Monday and has said that this railway should be conserved with all efforts.

Paul Whittle, the vicechairman of the DHRS, has said through the release that they are extending all possible help from their side.

"The DHR presents Indian Railways with all manner of challenges from unstable terrain, monsoon washouts, periodic political unrest, and a lack of planning controls along its boundaries. In recent years much money and effort has resulted in more tourist services, better quality carriages and an improved financial performance. However, the lack of clearly defined conservation standards has resulted in a loss of, or deterioration in some of the line's unique features," Whittle has said..