The Elysia Bhawan in Dumaram Busty, Kurseong,
was inaugurated as the headquarters of the world heritage
fame Darjeeling Himalayan Railway today. A museum housed in
the facility was also inaugurated by Mr RK Rao, a member of
Mechanical Railway Board, to mark the DHR’s 126th anniversary
today.
Senior railway authorities visited the Kurseong station today
and cut a Toy Train-shaped cake to celebrate the 126th anniversary
of the DHR. The railway authorities also visited the Elysia
museum.
Meanwhile, confusion broke out among the locals as the Elysia
Bhawan was earlier inaugurated as the DHR headquarters on
3 February last year. The locals wanted to know why the inauguration
was held for the second time today.
Later, addressing a Press conference, Mr Rao and Mr A Swami,
GM, NF Railway, Maligaon, clarified that the DHR headquarters
actually started functioning from today.
Regarding infrastructure development of the newly inaugurated
DHR headquarters, they said it would depend on income generation.
Mr Swami said much would depend on flow of tourists. He said
to run the DHR in a proper way, they need a sum of at least
Rs 12 crore. “Since DHR is a pride of the nation, we
will leave no stone unturned to enhance its beauty,”
Mr Swami, added. They said Tindharia is also being developed
as a tourist destination .
Regarding the Elysia museum, they said people would know the
history of the DHR after visiting the museum.
Meanwhile, Kurseong MLA Mrs Shanta Chettri today demanded
that the toy trains be modernised to catch the attention of
the tourists.
She also demanded recruitment of group C and group D staff
at the DHR headquarters.
It may be recalled that the Unesco’s World Heritage
Committee declared the DHR as a world heritage site on 5 December
1999.
The DHR director, Mr S Nath, today said that the newly inaugurated
museum would remain open to tourists between 10 a.m. to 5
p.m. everyday. While the entry fee for the locals has been
fixed at Rs 20 per person, the foreigners have to pay Rs 100
each to visit the museum.
Courtesy: The Statesman |
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