Kalimpong get new scenic tourist spot

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Tourists coming to Kalimpong have reasons for merriment as now they can enjoy boat ride in the scenery of a picturesque forest, kudos to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) which has introduced a boating complex in the district. Chief Minister of West Bengal, Ms. Mamata Banerjee has been emphasizing on the urgency of setting up new tourism spots in the Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts with an aim to attract more tourists and to make their stay in the Hills for long. By the way, tourism is the main financial mainstay of this region.

The boating complex, which is situated between the two popular tourist destinations, Lava and Loleygaon, was opened on Thursday by GTA Chairman, Anit Thapa. The Nok-dara tourist complex has been built across an area of two and a half acres. It boasts of a 9,990 sq metre lake, along with manicured lawns and gardens. The forest which has the lake brags of rich flora and fauna.

“At present we have five pedal boats. In future the number will increase. As there are popular tourist destinations nearby including Lava, Loleygaon and Kafer, we are anticipating that this tourist spot will soon evolve into a major attraction,” stated Suraj Sharma, assistant director of tourism, GTA.

The boating complex is situated 40 kms from Kalimpong town, 9 kms from Lava and 5 kms from Loleygaon. There are numerous hotels and homestays in Lava, Loleygaon and Kafer. “We have to come up with new tourist destinations. In the past many tourist facilities including guest houses and bungalows were torched. It is time to forego that path and start building rather than destroying. Such projects will not only boost tourism in the Hills but will also generate employment,” remarked Thapa.

In May 2015, the project had been started by the Tourism Engineering department.

However, with the agitation in 2017 along with the 104-day-long bandh, the project went through rough waters. “In the second phase, work commenced in August 2019 and was completed this month,” explained Anil Chettri, Assistant Engineer, GTA. The two phases of the project were completed at a cost of Rs 14, 16, 76,968, funded from the ACA Package Fund.

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