Mrik News - Poor infrastructure hits tourism in Mirik

SILIGURI, 1 DEC: The Mirik Lake, located at an altitude of 1,767 metres above sea level, boasts of a quaint aura of its own. The sight of the lofty Kanchenjunga getting reflected on the placid lake waters adds to its grandeur. Tourists from far and wide are flocking to the picturesque spot after the return of peace in Darjeeling Hills.
Tourists are now making a beeline, as it were, for the Hills. The tourism season spans from September to December. Yet, there is something missing, not in nature, though, which is generous in its bounty, but in tourism infrastructure which seems to be in a shambles.
“Everything's fine. The sky is blue and there is a nip in the air, though, mercifully, it's not biting cold yet. But we are missing the pleasures of boating because there are only a few boats left and, to cap it all, there's neither any rescue boat nor life jackets. We have found several boats lying broken. Some are too old for service. We wonder what would happen in case of a boat capsizal,” said a tourist from Ahmedabad, Mr Rajesh Chowdhury, who came with his three children.
The receptionist at Mirik Tourist Lodge, Mr Suresh Pradhan, said: “We have been asking for new boats for the past 20 years. Not a single one has been provided yet. Seven boats are in service now though the condition of most of them is pitiable. When the DGHC came into being in 1988 these boats were provided. There is not a single rescue boat. There was a lone life-saver who was appointed on a contract basis. Since his retirement there is practically no diver. We have approached the DGHC assistant director several times. Recently, the secretary of the department  has assured us of infrastructure revamp. Let us see whether things would move now with the GTA being set to replace DGHC,” he said.
The assistant director, DGHC, Mr Dipak Kumar Sunwar, said that development had remained in limbo since the GJMM re-launched the Gorkhaland stir in 2008.
“We sent proposals related to revamping of tourism infrastructure in Mirik to the DGHC officials concerned more than three months ago. There has been no response so far. We are hoping that with the formation of the GTA things would look up,” he said.
SNS