|
|
Tourism
In Darjeeling
 |
|
Darjeeling
Himalayan Railway
|
|
During the colonial era, a string of
settlements along the lower Himalayas, from Murree in the West (now
in Pakistan) to Darjeeling in the East, were created to enable the
alien rulers to escape the stifling summer of the Indian plains.
Initially the facilities were designed for convalescence of the
injured and ailing British soldiers and civilians. Because of natural
and geographical characteristics, Darjeeling was ideally suited
for this purpose. The process of developing it as a "hill station"
started around 1835. By 1850, it had grown sufficiently for the
authorities to think in terms of setting up a municipality to look
after its civic services.
The town, its infrastructure and other
amenities, were planned to cater to the needs of about 20,000 people.
Over the years, its natural features and climatic conditions made
it a centre of attraction for visitors during two seasons, the summer
and the interregnum when the rains have receded and the winter is
yet to set in. After Independence, a conscious effort was made to
promote it as a tourist destination. Since then, the thin trickle
of visitors has turned into a torrent which is taking its toll of
the town's civic facilities, its environment and its culture.
The expansion of hotels, tourist lodges,
resorts and shopping areas displaces people, increases traffic congestion
and pollution from vehicular emissions. Darjeeling was designed
and developed to cater to the needs of a smaller population and
is not able to cope with the demands of a large floating population.
Ill-planned and unregulated construction activity has played havoc
with its natural environment. Concrete jungles have replaced sylvan
vistas.
Tourism has bolstered Darjeeling's economy.
While the role of tourism as a major economic activity cannot be
denied, the necessity of regulating it in a manner compatible with
environmental conservation cannot be over-emphasised. Against this
background, perspective planning integrating environmental and ecological
factors is of utmost importance in Darjeeling Hills as they are
ecologically fragile and the total area an environmental hot-pot.
Beside long term perspective planning, immediate measures are necessary
to contain the adverse impacts. For this purpose, a set of rules
and regulations which are different from the existing ones has to
be evolved and accepted. |
|
|
|
