DEPARTMENT- RELATED PARLIAMENTARY STANDING COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORT, TOURISM AND CULTURE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM IN DARJEELING AND SIKKIM

Transcription

1 DEPARTMENT- RELATED PARLIAMENTARY STANDING COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORT, TOURISM AND CULTURE DEVELOPMENT OF TOURISM IN DARJEELING AND SIKKIM One Hundred Ninetieth Report of the Department- related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture on Development of Tourism in Darjeeling and Sikkim was presented to the Hon'ble Chairman, Rajya Sabha on 6 th February, The Committee is chaired by Shri Sitaram Yechury, M.P. Darjeeling Ropeway: The Committee recommended that the Singla ropeway can be extended to the other side of the river to Jorethang in Sikkim and taking it to Namchi, making this a Darjeeling-Sikkim Ropeway. This could be a major tourist attraction that has the backdrop of the snow-capped mountains, tea gardens and the Rangeet River. (Para 14) Ropeway between Namchi to Samdruptse may be considered to take tourists from Namchi which will not only save time but will also to have a panoramic view of the place. (Para: 43) Darjeeling Himalayan Railway: The Committee found that Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is in abject neglect. The Committee recommended that renovation/restoration of all stations from Siliguri station to Darjeeling Station should be taken up and the adjoining areas with tea estates, old buildings, etc should be brought under 'Tourism and Heritage Park'. Siliguri Town, Sukna, Tindharia, Kurseong, Sonada, Ghoom and Darjeeling station need to be provided with tourist information and felicitation centre and other amenities. (Para:15)

2 Neighbouring Country Borders: Facilities at the three major border points which are used by tourists; viz., Kakkarvitta-Panitanki border with Nepal, Chengrabandha-Burimari border with Bangladesh and Phuentsholing-Jaigaon border with Bhutan need to be immediately upgraded to facilitate tourism. All-weather; single window facility like customs and immigration clearances, foreign exchange and other information should be available to the tourists at these spots. (Para:16) Maintenance of Lakes The Committee takes a serious view of the utter neglect of Mirik lake. The Committee recommended that there should be a proper sewage disposal mechanism for the area so that the process of polluting the Mirik lake could be checked. De-silting should be done in Mirik Lake and, thereafter, proper maintenance work should be carried out at regular intervals. (Para: 23) Tea Tourism Darjeeling is famous for its beautiful Tea Gardens spread far and wide having immense potential for tourism. The concept of 'Tea Tourism' should be explored for tourism purposes. (Para: 26) Hotel Accommodation and Amenities Darjeeling is the most sought after tourist destination but there is dearth of good hotels. Subsidy should be provided to smaller and Budget hotels on priority basis. The Committee is of the strong view that there is need to give special status to Darjeeling. If timely action is not taken the tourist flow will gradually decrease and this will affect the economy of the region as the major source of employment is tourism related services. The possibility of opening the West Bengal Tourism Hotel at Mirik for the public may be explored. (Para: 29) Rural Tourism Scheme for subsidy to Home Stays should be included in the subsidy scheme for building tourist accommodation in villages and there is an immediate need to formulate a rural tourism policy and support for development of some model tourism villages in the Darjeeling and Sikkim region. (Para:31) 2

3 Instead of treating Sikkim as a stand-alone destination it should be developed as a part of Buddhist Circuit and eco tourism in the country by integrating all the tourism products. (Para: 40) Institute of Travel and Tourism Management in Sikkim on the lines of the Tourism Management Institute at Gwalior for serving the interest of tourism industry of North East may be established. (Para:49 ) The Committee recommended improved Rail and air-connectivity for Sikkim connecting various Buddhist pilgrim centres including international flights from Bagdogra connecting Bagdogra to Paro (Bhutan) and Bangkok (Thailand) (Para:59 ) Keeping in view the culture of the area a suggestion has been made to rename Bagdogra Airport as 'Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore International Airport'. The Committee desires that the Ministry of Civil Aviation may look into the possibility of renaming the airport. (Para:75) The under-construction Green Field Airport at Pakyong in Sikkim should have all the modern facilities including good road connectivity to airport to attract domestic and international tourists. (Para: 76) Connectivity by Helicopter On the lines of the helicopter services provided by Sikkim, West Bengal Government may also be given financial support to promote helicopter tourism in the area of Darjeeling. (Para: 84) Road Connectivity and Construction of roads The Committee noted various steps taken to provide an alternative highway for Gangtok which is very essential so that it is well connected with the country. Since it is surrounded by international borders, the need is more also from the strategic point of view. The Committee, therefore, recommended that keeping in view its strategic location the alternate highway should be given top priority. The Committee hopes that the proposed highway will be completed as per schedule. (Para: 96 ) Various initiatives of the Ministry of Tourism are awaiting forest clearances. Out of the 72 projects, only 19 have got the clearances and 49 projects are under 3

4 process at various stages. Maintenance and development of NH is crucial not only for the economic development of Sikkim and Darjeeling and surrounding region, but also for the security of the country. The Committee, therefore, recommends that the Forests Departments of West Bengal and Sikkim may be impressed upon to take strategic and economic interest of the region into account while considering the proposals received for clearances. (Para:105) The Committee is aware of the constraints in proper maintenance of the roads in the Darjeeling and Sikkim region. The Committee recommends that the BRO should be given modern equipment and adequate funds for the roads maintained by them. The Committee is surprised to observe that BRO, in addition to its main work of construction and maintenance of NH, has to engage itself in the task of seeking clearances from the State governments. The Committee recommends that BRO should concentrate its efforts in the construction of roads and the rest of the formalities should be completed by the Ministry in consultation with the concerned State Governments. (Para:106 ) The Committee has noted that the road connecting Bagdogra Airport to Darjeeling is in a dilapidated state, which is a major bottleneck for the growth of tourism in Darjeeling and Sikkim. The Committee, therefore, recommends that since different authorities are involved in the maintenance work at various stretches, a coordinated action is required to maintain the highway from Bagdogra to Darjeeling. (Para: 107) The Committee notes that the maintenance of roads is an expensive task in the hilly terrain because of high rainfall and adverse topographical conditions. It, therefore, recommends to create a fund dedicated to the maintenance of roads for Darjeeling and the North East including Sikkim. (Para:110 ) Road Permit There is a need for seamless travel in Darjeeling and Sikkim. The taxi fare and road taxes should be rationalized in consultation with the stake holders concerned by the State Governments. (Para: 116) 4

5 The problem of road permit in Darjeeling should be considered by the Ministry of Tourism on priority in consultation with the concerned Departments to give them a level playing field. The State Government should also take the benefit from the scheme for construction of modern, state-of-the-art, dedicated parking lots for which financial assistance is provided by the Ministry of Tourism. (Para:117 ) 'Visa-on-Arrival" The Visa on Arrival facility should be provided at Bagdogra airport to facilitate international tourists. Extension of the Visa on Arrival facility at the border adjoining Darjeeling and Sikkim may also be considered. (Para: 132) Inclusion of the Darjeeling Hills in ambit of DONEAR for allocations of 10% of the Union Budget The Committee while going through different areas in and around Darjeeling and Sikkim could notice a strong sense of deprivation and discrimination amongst the people of Darjeeling. The argument being that both the areas are adjacent and have same topography, etc. The Darjeeling area is also affected by the same problems and has all the considerations based on which other adjoining areas are getting special help, but same treatment is not being given to them. There are no special projects either by the Union or the State Government to boost the economy of the area. Darjeeling has had enjoyed traditional glory and has lot of memories of the past. There is a threat of loosing the heritage status of the Darjeeling Himalayan railways. In fact the tourists in the earlier days only talked about Darjeeling and were fascinated by the place. But with no developmental work taking place in the region, the Darjeeling area has lagged behind other States and has been left to remain only in our memories. (Para:133 ) The said resentment in the areas was also about the exclusion of the Districts of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Coochbehar from the Northeast Tourism Development schemes. It was said to be mainly due to regional discrimination meted out to them. The Committee also feels that the people of Darjeeling are also facing the same 5

6 vagaries of nature and difficulties of life as those by the North-Eastern States. The Committee also feels that these arguments have merit that deserve to be considered seriously, as early as possible. Why not include Darjeeling Hills also in the category of NE region so that it gets the benefit of 10% of the funds through the Ministry of DONEAR. The Committee recommends that for the integrated development of the NE region, benefits of the 10% tourism budget for the NE Region should be extended to the three north eastern districts of the West Bengal.. These areas should be considered along with Sikkim for the purpose of development of tourism facilities, subsidies, reorganization, tax benefits etc of Ministry of DoNER. (Para:134 ) LTC facility in lieu of Hometown granted to Central Government Employees. The Committee also notes that Darjeeling is excluded from the LTC facility in lieu of Hometown granted to Central Government Employees. The Committee recommends that the matter should be taken up with the DoPT to grant the same status to Darjeeling. (Para:135 ) Need to create balance with the ongoing tourism activities and the forest laws. The Forest Laws in the State of Sikkim prohibit the diversion of forest-land for non-productive sector under the Forest Conservation Act. The Committee came to know that the laws are very stringent and the Tourism Department has to go through a very long process to get the forest land for the purpose. The Committee recommends that there is need to create balance with the ongoing tourism activities and the forest laws. The Ministry should take up the clearance of the projects on priority basis. (Para: 136) Connectivity by telecommunications and internet To facilitate tourists to remain connected with their people, connectivity by telecommunications and internet is very important. The internet service and mobile signals are very weak in most of the places in Darjeeling and Sikkim. This causes difficulty in proper communication especially at times where immediate assistance is required. The Committee recommends that this matter may be taken on a priority basis with the concerned agencies i.e Ministry of Communication and IT. (Para:138 ) 6

7 Special Incentives for film industry To promote tourism in the region, the Cine producers may be invited and facility provided for shooting in Darjeeling and Sikkim. The movies which are shot in these areas should be screened in festivals also, to create awareness about the rich beauty of the place. (Para:140 ) (The full report is available on the website of Rajya Sabha related RS-Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture-Reports) ***** 7