Tiger Hill declared plastic-free zone

Darjeeling: In support of the “Beat Plastic Pollution” theme of the World Environment Day this year, the tourism department of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration has declared Tiger Hill, a plastic free zone. Stringent action will be taken against anyone found dumping plastic in this famous sunrise point in Darjeeling.

Tiger Hill, situated 14 km from Darjeeling at an altitude of about 8000ft is one of the most famous tourist spots in Darjeeling. Tourists visit this spot located in the Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary to see the sunrise and Mount Kanchenjunga. It also is a bio-diverse hotspot.

However, all this has been marred by a huge number of tourists not only visiting this bio-diverse hotspot but also leaving behind garbage in the form of empty food packets, plastic water bottles and plastic coffee cups. In order to check the numbers, police issue permits for around 700 vehicles daily to visit Tiger Hill.

“For the past months we have been cleaning up the garbage from Tiger Hill. World Environment Day has been marked by declaring Tiger Hill as plastic free. We request all visiting Tiger Hill not to dump waste here. In case they are caught, appropriate action will be taken against them,” stated Dawa Gyalpo Sherpa, Chief Coordinator, Adventure Tourism Department, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.

Along with the tourists, he has appealed to the taxi drivers bringing in tourists not to clean their cars in Tiger Hill and leave behind plastic waste. During peak season, Tiger Hill witnesses around four-and-a-half-thousand footfalls daily.