Darjeeling, Nov. 23: The Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council
and regional postal department are determined to start the first-ever
boat race on Mirik Lake, in a bid to grab more tourists during the
off-season winter months.
Postmaster general of north Bengal and
Sikkim John Samuels said the `Speed Post Boat Race` would boost
Mirik's potential as a tourist spot.
The department is working out the modalities with the DGHC's tourism
department and, according to an official of the department, the
event was tentatively being set for January. This will be the first
time such a competition would be held in the Darjeeling hills, pointed
out tourism officials. They were banking on the event's tourist-pulling
capacity during the cold winter months, they added. A senior official
said the DGHC owned six paddle boats, two row boats and a shikara
at Mirik.The competition would, however, be restricted to the paddle
boats since the other types would be inadequate for the race. `We
will face no problem as far as paddle boats are concerned. Apart
from the six boats that we already have, the department has already
ordered for 10 more paddle boats that are expected to arrive soon,"
said a DGHC tourism official, adding that the "park at Mirik was
being renovated by the DGHC.`
To get the attention of the tourists, the contest has been opened
to everyone. `We were initially thinking of holding the race from one end of
the lake to the other but the distance turned out to be only 1.5
km. Then we decided to make the competitors go round the lake since
the circumference was 3.5 km,` said Samuel.
And, if you are thinking why the postal department, Samuel explains:
`Through the event the department is determined to contribute to
the socio-economic development of the town, which is largely dependent
on the tourism industry.`
Courtesy
The Telegraph |
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