Taxi drivers in Darjeeling on warpath over traffic jams

EOI, DARJEELING, AUGUST 30, 2024 : Taxi drivers under the aegis of the Himalayan Transport Coordination Committee (HTCC) have decided to organize a rally on September 3 to create awareness on the issue of traffic congestion plaguing the hill town and put pressure on the district administration and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) to find an early solution.

The HTCC said on Friday that communication had been sent and memorandums submitted repeatedly to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and the Darjeeling district administration about the problem of perennial traffic congestion, but no solution had been worked out.

"We have met the district administration and the GTA and held long meetings, but these have failed to yield results. In the last meeting, we were assured of a solution by the month of July, but nothing has transpired yet. Therefore, we have been compelled to organize the rally to create pressure on the administrations," HTCC President Passang Sherpa said on Friday.

The rally will start at 11 a.m. from Ghoom and end at Chowrasta, with the participants holding the national flag. The rally is expected to last for around three hours, covering a distance of eight km.

"We are aware of the inconvenience the rally may cause to the public. That's why our rally will start when office-goers and students will have reached their offices and schools. It may take around three hours to cover the distance from Ghoom to Chowrasta. During this hour of the day, we don't feel it will hamper traffic much. The whole idea of the rally is to create awareness and highlight the traffic congestion problem of our town," said Sherpa.

The HTCC president said the onus was on the GTA to come up with a lasting solution to ease the traffic congestion issue. "People running the GTA sought our vote, saying they would solve our problems, being the local self-governing body. Now it is for them to deliver on their promise. We will submit a memorandum to the transport department of the council body," Sherpa said.

It may be mentioned that the GTA has plans to come up with an alternative route from Lebong to 3rd Mile to decongest traffic in the Darjeeling town. The 13.5 km alternate route can be used by those traveling to and from Kalimpong, Gangtok, and Siliguri. Presently, there are alternative routes to reach Darjeeling, but all converge at Ghoom. This leads to heavy traffic.

"We have given several suggestions to the GTA and the district administration to ease the traffic woes. We understand it will take time to work on big issues, but we can't fathom why they are sitting on the small, doable issues," Sherpa said.

The traffic woes are amplified during the tourist season when more than 800,000 visitors converge on Darjeeling. Of late, the trend of tourists bringing their own vehicles is turning out to be a major headache for the traffic police in managing the situation.