Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) to modernize the New Jalpaiguri (NJP) railway junction

According to sources of the Indian Railways, the New Jalpaiguri (NJP) is one of the 204 stations of the country identified for an upgrade. This would translate into excellent features for passenger comfort. This station is the largest of this region and the busiest of the NFR zone. Work has started on shifting of ticket counters along with the parcel and RMS offices. Shifting of the existing parking area is also on the cards. The tentative plan is to finish the work by 2025. That is what the chief public relation officer of NFR informed. NJP, located on the southern end of Siliguri, is among the top 100 stations of India in terms of railway bookings. After the upgrade, the station with its new infrastructure would have the capacity to handle over 70,000 passengers per day. At present, it handles as many as 36,000 passengers on any average day. The introduction of modern amenities would provide an airport-like feel and comfort to passengers. Centre plans NJP railway junction revamp. The station also has the narrow gauge track of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR), which is on the list of UNESCO world heritage sites. There will now be new foot over-bridges, separate arrival, and departure lobbies.

The business community of this region, including stakeholders of the tourism industry have welcomed the announcement by the NFR. These would give a boost to the local economy and contribute to development of the tourism sector. This happens to be a major industry in the region and is the third major decision made by the Centre to improve infrastructure for better connectivity in the region. A few weeks earlier, the Union minister of road transport and highways initiated the work of a 13-kilometre-long, four-lane road to connect the northeast and northwest ends of Siliguri via Darjeeling More. There are plans on the anvil for the expansion of the Bagdogra airport.

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Trekking in Sikkim near the Kanchenjunga Mountain

Sikkim provides amazing views of the Khangchendzonga Mountain. This is the third highest peak in the world and it towers over hills in most part of the state. Experts take the route up the Dzongri-Goechala to go near to Kanchenjunga and its sister peaks. This used to be the only popular trek route in Sikkim. However, Green Lake Trek is another option in north Sikkim. It takes one to the northeast base of Kanchenjunga. Sikkim always had a limited trekking option but the tourism department of the state is exploring possibilities of developing new trek routes. It gave the responsibility of this to a noted mountaineer and explorer from Kolkata. He has been exploring the great east ridge of Kanchenjunga since 2011 and in 2022, the Government of Sikkim appointed him. His task was to survey and evaluate possibilities of developing several new, eco-friendly and sustainable trails that would lead to the interiors of the great east ridge of Kanchenjunga. Accordingly, he explored the southern part of the great east ridge with Siniolchu in the north. He discovered a new route that led to the Zumthul Phuk Glacier, with a beautiful glacial lake. Zumthul Phuk Glacier in Sikkim: A new route beckons trekkers.

The initial part of the exploratory route followed the pilgrim route to the Tholung Monastery. This is located in the Dzongu region of north Sikkim which is just a day’s trek from the nearest road-head Bey. Mukherjee and his team of local sherpas from Dzongu region made their way through the Zumthul Phuk River gorge towards the Zumthul Phuk Glacier. He felt a proper trail along the route would help trekkers reach the glacier snout in two days from Temrong. He is hopeful that his discovery could open up a new trek route in Sikkim. That would help trekkers to try their hands on a relatively easy route to reach the base of one of the most beautiful peaks of the Himalayas. He warns that over-tourism can be disastrous to the already fragile ecosystem. If not cautious, it could destroy one of the least physically explored areas of the world.

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UNESCO predicts the world famous glaciers might disappear by 2050 due to global warming

The United Nations cultural agency UNESCO monitors more than 18,000 glaciers across 50 of its World Heritage sites. It mentions Mount Kilimanjaro apart from the Dolomites in Italy and the Yosemite and Yellowstone parks in the US. The prediction of UNESCO could have serious repercussion. It predicts that around 50 percent of World Heritage glaciers could almost entirely disappear unless the world takes corrective action. It may be possible to preserve them by keeping global temperature rise below 1.5C. UNESCO says World Heritage glaciers make up around 10 percent of the world's glacier areas overall. The worst part is that the world's best-known glaciers are gradually disappearing. That would be a major loss for global tourism. The report's lead author is Tales Carvalho. He estimates that World Heritage glaciers lose around 58 billion tonnes of ice every year on an average. In other words, the loss is equivalent to the total annual volume of water used in France and Spain together. It contributes to almost 5 percent of the global observed sea-level rise. Major glaciers including Mount Kilimanjaro and Dolomites to disappear by 2050, UN report says.

He adds that in order to prevent major glacier retreat worldwide it is necessary to reduce carbon emissions. UNESCO wants local authorities to make glaciers a focus of policy. They can achieve this by improving monitoring and research. They can also implement different measures of risk reduction. Tales Carvalho cautions - "As glacier lakes fill up, they can burst and can cause catastrophic floods downstream.” The timing of the report coincides with the COP27 event in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. It would be Africa's first UN climate conference in six years. Incidentally, a recent study found that glaciers in Switzerland lost half of their volume in less than a century. Moreover, the rate of retreat of ice is on the rise. This is a matter of concern.

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Tour operators are happy vis-à-vis trend of booking in hotels, resorts, homestays and the toy train across the hills

The Bengal tourism industry says nearly 90 per cent of the accommodation in homestays are booked until Diwali. These have mushroomed in different villages across the hills, both in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts. Tour operators are happy at the trend of booking in hotels, resorts and homestays across the hills. Moreover, reservation for rides in the toy train of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) have also boosted their enthusiasm. In their opinion, these are indications about the revival of tourism in the hills, especially during the Diwali and Chhath Puja holidays. It is evident that after two years of the Covid-19 pandemic people are back in the travel mood. When compared to hotel bookings, homestays are doing better. As a veteran in the tourism industry explains - “Even in 2019, homestays were not so popular. But after the pandemic, people prefer to stay in isolated places instead of crowded ones. That is why bookings are so high in these accommodations.” Hill tourism on a festive peak.

The bookings reveal that during Diwali, tourists plan to go to prominent spots like Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong apart from locations like Sonada, Chatakpur, Mirik, Sitong, Lava and Loleygaon. Even lesser known homestays in Mirik like tea estates and orange groves are booked. Moreover, an official of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway DHR reveals there is a huge response from tourists for rides this season. The DHR conducts 12 daily joy rides from Darjeeling station. The return trip from Ghoom covers the Batasia loop and is the most popular ride in the DHR. The tourism industry suffered huge losses because of the pandemic and it hopes return of tourists can boost the industry.

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Durga Puja and a trip to the sea beach of Digha

One of the favorite festivals of Bengalis is the Durga Puja. The festivities go on for four days and many Bengalis take the opportunity to visit the sea beach of Digha. There are any number of hotels and Digha tourism tries to cater to a whole range of visitors. These provide the visitors with innumerable options. A few tips worth following are to reserve a hotel in advance suitable to your pocket. There are any number of websites that are loaded with options. There are packages for making local trips to enjoy the holidays to the maximum. West Bengal Tourism department provides an insight into places to see and enjoy in Digha, a seaside place to spend some time with family and friends.

Durga Puja is the festive season when Bengalis enjoy a long holiday. Hence, many of those who plan to spend it on the seaside opt for Digha. It is accessible by train or by bus or by hired vehicles. The list of dos and don’ts are not many. How can you enjoy Durga Puja at affordably priced hotel in Digha? It is necessary that you book the hotel accommodation in advance, preferably online. In case there are children, it is better to select a hotel that offers facilities for kids’ activity. In case there are elderly persons, it helps if pickup and drop facilities are available from the railway station. As to food, try to avoid street food. They might appear attractive but may not follow the guidelines of hygiene. It would be wise to rely on the lip-smacking seafood served at the hotels.

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Didi’s palanquin tourism to woo foreign tourists (satire)

#palanquin Didi knew that tourism attracts money and, even though there are any number of tourist attractions around her that tourists would love to visit, they just do not come. And – that bothered her. So, she summoned Abhi Shake, Mo Cool, Patro Chatto, Omit Misra, Dee Wreck and a few others to discuss this all-important subject.
‘Abhi Shake – I want an action plan on promoting tourism in our state,’ she said. ‘We must think out of the box.’
‘There are spots in the hills, on the beaches, in the forests,’ Abhi said. ‘They are popular but are not attracting foreign tourists, only locals.’
‘I know,’ Didi said. ‘That is what I want to change. Give me ideas.’
‘Actually, our roads are so bad that foreigners hesitate to embark on journeys,’ Omit Misra mumbled. ‘They are used to comfort.’
‘Let us give it to them,’ Didi said. ‘Let us build necessary infrastructure.’
‘But – that takes time,’ Omit commented.
‘Don’t tell me,’ Didi was not happy with his reply. ‘You suffer from a defeatist mentality. Nothing is impossible.’ Her lieutenants looked at each other, confused.

‘Let us bring back the palanquin,’ she said. ‘It was so useful in those good old days when there were no roads. Only, let us make them more comfortable. Let them be air-conditioned with inbuilt TV. Let there be windows for the foreigners to watch the surrounding scenery.’
‘Not a bad idea,’ Moo Cool opened his mouth. ‘We can make it a double whammy.’
‘How?’ Abhi Shake asked.
‘We can make the palanquins locally,’ Moo Cool smiled. ‘That will be a part of our industry friendly activities. Making palanquins do not need hundreds of acres and we can set up factories in the land banks we hold.’
‘Exactly,’ Didi grinned, which was seldom. ‘I knew Moo Cool would come up with a good idea.’
Abhi Shake was a bit unhappy to see Didi praise Moo Cool sky-high.
‘And, of course, we can generate plenty of employment,’ he said. ‘We will have to recruit the palanquin bearers. They must be not only be sturdy but also experienced in long distance running and marathons.’
‘Yes,’ Didi said. ‘Someone can set up training institutes to teach them English and a few foreign languages like Japanese so that they can interact with the tourists.’
‘I’ll have to check out which industrialist will invest in this venture,’ Omit Misra said.
‘Why don’t you talk to Gourav Danguli about this?’ Didi suggested. ‘He can have a session on palanquins and how they have developed.’
‘Yes – that’s an idea,’ Omit Said.
Dee Wreck polished his glasses and grinned.
‘Didi, you are a genius,’ he was elated. ‘I’ll post a write-up on Facebook about this revolutionary concept. Your palanquin tourism will take the world by storm.’ (to be continued …)

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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