Darjeeling administration plans alternative roads to ease traffic congestion in town

We have planned to ready some alternative routes, based on alignments, which are being used by locals as alternative roads

MANAS R BANNERJEE, SNS, SILIGURI, 10 NOVEMBER 2022:  At a time when the traffic system in Darjeeling town has become a nightmare, the district administration, in association with the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), has planned to prepare some alternative routes to divert traffic during the peak tourist seasons.

People, including tourists, have been facing huge traffic congestion as they enter Darjeeling town, while traffic is thrown out of gear during the festive season.

"We have planned to ready some alternative routes, based on alignments, which are being used by locals as alternative roads," Darjeeling District Magistrate S Ponnambalam, who is also the Principal Secretary oft he GM, said.

Sources said some routes, which were planned during the tenure of the late GNLF leader Subash Ghisingh, will also come under the alternative route project.

"We plan to prepare an alternative route from Lebong to Teesta Bazaar, a 30-km stretch, to clear the traffic snarl on the main roads. We have also plans to connect Ghum with Sukhia (on the Mirik route) with a good alternative road," Mr Pannombalam said.

He further said that the road between Mirik and Bungkulung was ready. "In order to connect Siliguri, the road from Bungkulung will be completed by March 2023," he said.

According to him, apart from those plans, more roads will be coming up that will connect Dabai Paani with Darjeeling.

A taxi driver, Chandan Sarkar, who frequently ferries tourists to Darjeeling Hills, said he was not happy with the tourists, who do not want to walk even a few metres in midtown, especially during times when the traffic system goes out of gear.

Mr Sarkar feels that if the administration can prepare some fully-automated parking lots outside of the town and impose restrictions on the entry of vehicles in the town, the present problems can be solved to a great extent.

According to the convener of the Association for Conservation and Tourism (ACT), Raj Basu, as the Trinamool Congress came to power in 2011, ACT had tabled a proposal to resolve the traffic problem in Darjeeling town.

"We had proposed to showcase Darjeeling as a heritage town, keeping all the old properties intact. We also proposed to shift government establishments from Darjeeling to Mungpo, which is located centrally and connected well in the Hills to ease the rush in Darjeeling town."

"In order to bring back the past glory and traditions, we have proposed that people as well as tourists will walk in Darjeeling town," Mr Basu said.

According to him, the idea was also to cut down on pollution and make Darjeeling a clean town, as it was many years earlier.

"We want Darjeeling to be showcased as a heritage town where health and education are its basic features," Mr Basu said.

According to sources, after setting up of the Darjeeling Hills University at Mungpo, the state government as well as the GTA now plans to develop infrastructure in the centrally located area and to bring in socio-economic development there.

"Had we set up Darjeeling Hills University (DHU) in Darjeeling temporarily, a section of the people would have not shifted it to Mungpo," said an official.

Notably, the DHU has started functioning in a building, which was actually constructed for the Industrial Training Institute (ITI).

The state government has approved Rs 33 crore to ready the DHU campus at Jogighat, where 25 acres of land has been earmarked.