A four-day workshop on conservation and maintenance of the Darjeeling
Himalayan Railway (DHR) and its related assets such as station buildings
and tracks concluded at Elysia Buildings, the DHR headquarters in
Kurseong, on Thursday.
Officials said the workshop was part of the
preparation of the Comprehensive Conservation & Management Plan
(CCMP) for the toy train service, which was declared a world heritage by
Unesco 19 years ago.
“The CCMP, which would be prepared by
Unesco, is at its final stage of completion. Keeping it in mind, a
technical workshop on its manuals and interactions with stakeholders
were held in Kurseong from November 19 to November 22 in the presence of
representatives of Unesco,” said an official.
During the
workshop, the Unesco representatives discussed the restoration,
preservation and management of the DHR with the participants. Those
present were railway officials, local community groups and technical
experts.
The initiative to prepare a CCMP was taken about a year
ago following an agreement that was signed between Union railway
ministry and Unesco. The ministry is paying Rs 4.2 crore to Unesco for
the plan.
Last year, the toy train service had suffered because of
the shutdown and statehood agitation. The service remained shut for
over three months. Two stations, Sonada and Gayabari, were torched in
July last year. One of the floors of Elysia Building was also ransacked.
This year train services between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling have suffered because of recurring landslides.
“During
the four-day programme, the representatives of Unesco visited the
gutted Sonada station. In the CCMP there will be a manual for
architectural conservation and renovation. This would be followed up to
refurbish the structures of both Sonada and Gayabari, while keeping the
heritage look unaltered,” said the official.
During the workshop,
the Unesco representatives apprised railway officials and local
community groups on how the tracks should be maintained and conserved
and their preparedness in case of any disaster.
“Once the CCMP is
ready, we will follow its manuals in every case, right from conservation
to repairing, so that the heritage property is conserved in the
best-possible manner,” a senior railway official said.
“That is
why Unesco has been assigned to prepare it as they have experts in this
field. The workshop was necessary as locals as well as our employees
posted in DHR, right from NJP to Darjeeling, should know about the plan
and the processes that should be adopted for conservation,” said a
senior railway official.
The Telegraph
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