Row over running of Darjeeling toy train

DARJEELING: The North-east FrontierRailway Mazdoor Union, Kurseong unit, and political parties in the hills are upin arms against the reported move by the railways to hand over the DarjeelingHimalayan Railway (DHR) to the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation(IRCTC).The NFR Mazdoor Union’s Kurseong unit held aconvention at the Kurseong Gorkha Library against the handing over of the DHR tothe IRCTC and the threat to close down the Kurseong railway press and downsizingthe manpower of Tindharay Workshop and Locoshed recently.Union jointsecretary S.P. Lama said the convention, attended by the representatives of allpolitical parties in the hills and DHR lovers, assured the union of all supportin thwarting the victimisation of railway employees in the hills.Theunion sought the cooperation of the people of the Darjeeling hills to protestthe plan. The first toy train rolled into Darjeeling on July 3, 1881, withLieutenant-Governor Sir Ashley Eden on board.The idea of a railwayline to Darjeeling from Siliguri was first mooted by Franklin Prestage, an agentof the East Bengal Railway. Construction of the 87.48 km line along the HillCart Road was entrusted with contractors Herbert Gordon Ramsey and ThomasMitchell & Co. Work, which completed the work in 18months.According to Gorkha National Liberation Front leaders, theCentre had done nothing to improve the DHR in spite of it being declared a worldheritage site by Unesco two years ago.Kurseong Town Congresscommittee general secretary R.P. Sharma said, “We strongly protest thenefarious motive of the railways to gradually shut down the railway industry asthis would adversely affect the economy and the employment problems in the hillsand the glamour of Darjeeling.�“DHR is not only anincome generating industry but is a part of our culture that has a lot ofsentimental values. It should not be privatised but continued to be run by therailways,� said executive member of the Darjeeling Himalayan RailwayProtection Committee Yuraj Sundas. A wider agitation may be launched if theirdemands were not met, he added.