Siliguri, 05 December: Darjeeling MP Raju Bista inaugurated the renovated Darjeeling Railway Station and laid the foundation stone for locomotive shed renovation at the same on Monday. Apart from this, the MP also laid the foundation stone for renovating the Heritage park at the Ghoom railway station, and participated in the closing ceremony of the ongoing Ghoom Festival 2022.
The statement released by Raju Bista stated:
Our beautiful Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars region has attracted tourists from all over the world for decades. Among the very many attractions here, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR) is the most widely known and celebrated. The DHR holds the distinction of being the first Mountain Railway in the world to be included in UNESCO’s World Heritage list. Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is not just a world Heritage site, it is like an extended part of the family for all of us.
I consider it my honour that today, I inaugurated the renovated Darjeeling Railway Station, and laid the foundation stone for locomotive shed renovation at Darjeeling railway Station. I also laid the foundation stone for renovating the Heritage park at the Ghoom railway station, and participated in the closing ceremony of the ongoing “Ghoom Festival, 2022.”
Despite being a major landmark, DHR has faced difficulties in the past due to the lack of adequate staff, infrastructure and funding. However, from day one of being elected, I have worked to change this by speaking about the issues and challenges faced by DHR both inside the Parliament and outside it. Thanks to the collective efforts on the part of all the stakeholders associated with DHR, finally things are changing for the better.
I feel happy in reporting that in the past 3 years alone, recruitment to 88 vacant posts under DHR have been done, and more recruitment will be done in the coming years. Further the Ministry of Railways has sanctioned for the upgradation of the historic DHR Workshop at Tindharey. I have requested for Tindhare Workshop to be made into a hub of manufacturing narrow gauge diesel locomotive. This will be a first such specialized locomotive workshop in the country, and it will create more employment opportunities in our region. Major refurbishment and repair works are being undertaken throughout the line, Vistadom Coaches and new trains have been introduced. Work is going on rapidly for the Sevoke-Rangpo Rail Line, and once this line is established, we will have major tourism inflow, and it will also ensure more trains for our region, and ease of access. There are future plans to extend new routes in Mirik and Kalimpong.
I also had the honour of marking the closure of “Ghum Festival 2022”. The Ghoom railway station is the highest railway station in India, hence the venue holds both historic and geographical significance. This festival brings our DHR closer to the people, and celebrates the history, culture, cuisine, and the diversity of Darjeeling. I am most appreciative of the fact that the “Ghum Festival” has provided a platform to promote local songs, dances, cusines, arts, handloom, handicrafts and other art forms.
As tourism is one of the major sources of income for the people from our region, initiatives like “Ghum Festival” will go a long way in boosting the tourism and economy of our place. The officials are doing their bit, but, is our duty also to keep DHR alive. We have to prevent people from illegally occupying DHR land and constructions on DHR property, we have to take ownership of DHR.
On behalf of the people from Darjeeling hills, Teria and Dooars, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Hon’ble Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi ji, Hon’ble Railway Minister Sh. Ashwini Vaishnav ji for giving top priority for the development of railway infrastructure in our region, and I applaud the tireless efforts made by North East Frontier Railway, especially Shri Anshul Gupta, GM NFR and his team towards ensuring a better and brighter future our Darjeeling Himalayan Railways.