Plan for ‘second Darjeeling’ The proposed site at Rangbull is a tea estate surrounded by hills and has a picturesque landscape

Bireswar Banerjee, TT, 29.12.19, Siliguri :The Bengal government plans to develop a new tourist destination at Rangbull to ease the load of tourists in Darjeeling.

State tourism minister Gautam Deb said on Saturday that Rangbull near Sonada, located around 60km from Siliguri, would be developed as a “second Darjeeling.” The tourism department has taken the task of conducting a survey of the area to draw up a comprehensive project plan.

Deb was speaking on the sidelines of North Bengal Conclave, a meet hosted by the NB chapter of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), to promote private investments in the region.

The proposed site is a tea estate. It is surrounded by hills and has a picturesque landscape, said sources.

“We have identified some areas in Rangbull where a new tourist destination can be developed. A survey is in progress and we intend to develop the area as an alternative place for Darjeeling. It will be like a ‘second Darjeeling’,” said Deb.

The decision had been taken to ease the load of tourists in Darjeeling, said a source in the department.

“Traffic congestion is a key problem in the hills these

days. For most of the months, the town gets cramped with tourists and it causes inconveniences for both tourists and locals. Also, the steady rise in inflow of tourists often leads to shortage of accommodations. That is why it has been decided to find an alternative location nearby — Rangbull is around 18km from Darjeeling — where tourists can stay,” the source added.