Unesco may give ‘endangered’ tag to Darjeeling heritage line

Popularly known as the Toy Train,the DHR is a 78-km-long narrow guage line that connects New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in West Bengal. Built between 1879 and 1881,the line touches the maximum elevation of 2,200 metres,including Ghum,the highest railway station in India. The DHR received the World Heritage Site in 1999.

However,since 2010,the line has been facing disruptions. It was severely hit by the 2011 earthquake in Sikkim. Several assessments say the restoration work has been slow due to the apathy from both the Centre and the state.

In a letter to Minister of State for Railways,A R Chowdhury,Director and Unesco representative to India,Bhutan,Maldives and Sri Lanka,Shigeru Aoyagi,has said that the state of DHR is serious. “If no action is taken by the government of India to restore it urgently,there may be a chance that the Intergovernmental Committee of World Heritage Convention [may advise to place the DHR in the list of endangered sites to provide focused attention for conservation,” the letter stated.

Chowdury has been assigned to follow-up on this issue since the DHR is in his home state.

The Unesco has also started talks with the Heritage directorate of the Railway Ministry for a technical cooperation to develop a Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan. If everything goes well,the plan may be ready by August.

Recently,the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had sanctioned Rs 83 crore for the restoration of the NH 55 that runs near the track.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society in London,an old group of heritage railway enthusiasts,has invited Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal for its conference on DHR restoration next month.