Chowrastha, the popular promenade in
Darjeeling that is haunted by thousands, both local and from outside,
has gone fully Wi-Fi. This means no more worries to scurry to find an
internet café for being in touch with near and dear ones while visiting
town.
The Gorkhaland Territorial
Administration, for the convenience of tourists who flock to Darjeeling,
has started the Wi-Fi service in Chowrastha.
While announcing the popular and
important service, GTA tourism department executive director Sonam
Bhutia said in an elated mood, "We have made Chowrastha a Wi-Fi zone
from this month. Anyone within a radius of 250 square feet will be able
to avail of free internet connection while sitting and enjoying the
beauty of the area, provided their gadgets support the service. We have
kept in mind our guests who come to the hills and experience
difficulties in accessing an internet café as local ones are usually not
well equipped. Tourists include businessmen and high profile
professionals whose job requires them to be well connected.”
The Wi-Fi service will be available 24
hours and anyone who wants to connect to the virtual world just needs to
be at Chowrastha. Users will have two options available on their screen
while searching for the free connection -
Tourism Free Wi-Fi and Tourism Free Wi-Fi 2 - and connect to the internet without the need for a password.
Some areas around the Mall will also
come under the free Wi-Fi zone, according to the executive director. He
said full-fledged service started from the beginning of this month after
a few successful trials and the response since then has been excellent.
For businesspeople depending on hi-tech,
the Wi-Fi service has come as a boon. "It is difficult to leave the
shop to purchase a net pack if I want to access the internet. My shop is
in Chowrasta and during lean periods I have nothing to do, but with the
free Wi-Fi service available now, I will be able to use the internet
and wile away my time without thinking about the cost factor or of
leaving my shop," said Rupendra Pradhan, who owns a tea shop.
Tourists too seem enamored by the free
service. Rakshit Das from Howrah said, "This is my second visit to
Darjeeling. I enjoy coming to Chowrastha and sitting on the benches amid
pleasant weather. The free internet facility is an additional present
to look forward to while in Chowrasta. I will now be able to book my
return ticket right from here."(EOIC)