Darjeeling Ropeway ride on must-list - The thrill tourists missed for eight years

Darjeeling, Feb. 2.TT: The ropeway rides resumed in Darjeeling today after eight years with an advanced system to ensure the safety of the occupants.

The rides were suspended in 2003 when three gondolas had plunged 50 feet below killing four tourists. The Darjeeling Rangeet Valley ropeway was thrown open to the public today on the basis of a no-objection certificate issued by the public works department.

The cable car utility is a joint venture between the West Bengal Forest Development Corporation and the Conveyor and Ropeway Services Pvt Ltd.

“The ropeway is being made operational for the public from today and this is expected to be a major tourist attraction in the days to come. A formal inauguration is likely to take place in March,” said N.C. Dutta, the chief executive officer of the CRS.

However, officials of the WBFDC said the formal inauguration was unlikely to take place as the operation had already started.

Sources said more safety tools had been added to the ropeway to ensure that there was no recurrence of the accident.

“A system encompassing devices like limit switches, rope catches and guards has been installed. It can immediately detect any glitch the ropeway might develop and bring to halt the entire service automatically,” said a source.

The rides are for a 5km distance from Singamari to Vah-Tukvar downhill.

Four tourists were killed when three cabins had jumped the cable and plunged 50feet below into a tea garden on October 19, 2003. Cabins 1, 2 and 15 of the 15-car service that was bringing tourists back from Vah-Tukvar plummeted near Sat Talla. Cabin 2, which tumbled down about 200feet into a gorge, did not have any passenger.

This time, the ropeway service has only 10 cabins which can accommodate four passengers each. Tourists have to pay Rs 120 each for a 40 minute round trip.

The Duttas from Calcutta were among the first batch of people who took the trip today. “We heard that the ropeway was being made operational from today and that is why we decided to come here. The trip was spectacular as one could see the mountains and the panoramic view of the tea gardens,” said Antara Dutta.

Tour and travel operators had welcomed the government’s decision to restart the ropeway service.

Pradip Tamang, the general secretary of the Darjeeling Association of Travel Agents, had said earlier: “The ropeway was a great tourist attraction as the view from the cabins is unmatched. If the ropeway is made functional, we are hoping that tourists will extend their stay in Darjeeling by a day.”