Darjeeling, December 20 (Siliguri Chronicle) – Tourists eager to witness the famed sunrise at Tiger Hill were disappointed on Friday after taxi services in Darjeeling refused to operate to the popular viewpoint. Drivers’ associations said the decision was taken in protest over unmet demands and the failure of the traffic advisory committee to hold meetings.
Located at an altitude of around 8,500 feet, Tiger Hill is one of Darjeeling’s most visited tourist attractions, especially for its early morning views.
During the peak tourist season, around 500 tourist vehicles usually reach Tiger Hill every morning. However, on Friday, only 12 tourist taxis made it to the hilltop.
Pasang Sherpa, a representative of the Sanjukta Chalak Manch, said the drivers had been repeatedly raising several traffic-related issues.
“The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) also formed a traffic advisory committee to look into these issues. However, a meeting of the committee has not yet been convened,” said Sherpa, who is also a member of the committee.
The traffic advisory committee is headed by Uday Dewan, GTA Sabha member in charge of pool and transport, and includes the Darjeeling district magistrate along with representatives of the police and tourism stakeholders.
Among the drivers’ key demands are improved facilities at Tiger Hill, a restriction on sightseeing trips within Darjeeling town by taxis from outside the hills, and measures to ease traffic congestion.
“However, the committee has not yet convened the meeting. If the meeting is not conveyed by Tuesday, we might even start a hunger strike either at Lal Khoti (GTA headquarters) or Gorkha Rangamanch Bhavan (administrative building of the GTA,” said Sherpa.
In recent weeks, tensions have been simmering between drivers from the Darjeeling hills and those from the plains over the issue of restricting non-Darjeeling taxis from conducting sightseeing trips in the hill town.
On Friday, a meeting of the Joint Forum of Transport & Tourism Association was held in Siliguri. “The joint forum resolves to send a collective letter to the Darjeeling district administration, district police and the GTA, requesting immediate intervention and resolution of the (Tiger Hill) issue,” said a written statement issued by the forum.
The forum also appointed two representatives to initiate talks with the hill-based taxi organisation to discuss the issue.
Uday Dewan, the chairman of the traffic advisory committee, said: “The GTA is looking at holding a meeting. However, many departments and stakeholders are involved in the committee. Also, GTA chief executive Anit Thapa has left for Calcutta to take up an important issue concerning the teachers. I think the meeting can be held after Christmas.”
