Darjeeling: Heavy rainfall could emerge as a major damper to Independence Day commemoration, especially in the Darjeeling and Kalimpong Hills on Tuesday. The Met office has issued a yellow rainfall warning for all the eight districts of North Bengal.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted “heavy rain (7-11 cm) likely at one or two places. Thunderstorms and lightning are likely at one or two places for the Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts.”
In the past 24 hours, rainfall in Darjeeling was recorded at 48.4 mm at 8 am on Monday while Kalimpong recorded 26.4 mm. Sevoke recorded the highest rainfall of 86.6 mm.
Independence Day is commemorated on a grand scale in the Hills, especially in Kalimpong. It is a two-day affair in Kalimpong town, nothing short of the Dussehra or Diwali celebrations.
From early days, Kalimpong has been known for the two-day-long celebrations. All the hotels are packed to capacity and people from Bhutan, Sikkim and even Nepal come here to witness the commemorations.
“This year, there is an added attraction. A local food festival will be held along DS Gurung Road, Mani Road and Dambar Chowk. Cultural programmes will also be held on the main thoroughfares of the town,” said Amir Basnet, Secretary, 77th Independence Day celebration committee.
Preparations are in full swing for the mega event. 18 schools are taking part in this year’s parade. There will be a parade and band display at the Mela Ground in Kalimpong following which they will take to the Dal Bahadur Giri Road, popularly known as the Main Road .
On August 16, a school band display competition will be held along with cultural programmes and football finals. Thousands of people line up on the road sides and roof tops to watch the parade. Food stalls will be put up all along the route.
“As in previous years, there will be restriction in vehicular movement, including two wheelers from 6 am to 4 pm from different points to the town. Diversions have been chalked out. The Army authorities and Military Police have also been briefed accordingly,” said Aparajita Rai, Superintendent of Police, Kalimpong.
On Sunday, as part of the citizens’ initiative, local residents, various organisations, Kalimpong Municipality, police, fire brigade and even the Army pitched in to clean up the clogged drains of the town, braving the continuous downpour. There have been initiatives to spread awareness not to use plastic flags to decorate the town and instead use paper flags that are biodegradable.
Even Darjeeling town commemorates Independence Day with much gusto, with schools participating in a parade and drill display at the Lebong Stadium. This is followed by finals of the football match.
“All the preparations and hard work will be wasted if it rains very heavily on Tuesday,” said Bhaskar Dewan, a teacher.