Monday, July 23, 2012

100mm of rainfall & World Heritage site in peril : Tindharia (19July2012)


STH has covered the Tindharia landslides earlier (see here and here). On 19July2012 following approximately 100mm of rainfall (as per our ARG at Kurseong), a portion of the ground adjacent to the workshop collapsed endangering the famous 100yr old Darjeeling Himalayan Railway workshop located at Tindharia.


BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DARJEELING HIMALAYAN RAILWAY WORKSHOP AT TINDHARIA (KURSEONG)


The construction work including rail track of Darjeeling Himalayan Railways started in May 1879 and completed from Siliguri to Tindharia in 1880. The Governor General of India, Mr. Lord Litton inaugurated the train running in March 1880. Narrow Gauge train was operated upto Darjeeling in 1881. A miniature workshop was built at the present location of loco shed TDH in 1881. Tindharia workshop was built temporarily in the last part of the 19th century for maintenance of NG locomotives and carriages and wagons of DHR. Installation of Tindharia workshop at the present location started in 1913. The workshop came into operation in 1925. The total area of the workshop is 6670 sqm, out of which 3810 sq.m. is covered. DHR was initially tagged with NE zone and was subsequently transferred to NF in the year 1958. The world heritage committee at its 23rd session at Marrakesh, Morocco decided to inscribe Darjeeling Himalayan Railway site on the world heritage list. This was done on 26.11.2000 and it has deepened Indian Railways’ commitment towards the preservation of steam heritage on this system.

Photo credit : STH Member Bhushan Chhetri and Mr Kundun Yolmo (Siliguri)

Praful Rao

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