Tourist from Kolkata dies on way back from Sandakphu

Darjeeling: 55-year-old Asish Bhattacharjee, a tourist from Kolkata, passed away while returning from Sandakphu. Bhattacharjee was a resident of 41A Ramesh Mitra Road, Bhawanipur, Kolkata. He along with his family had arrived at Sandakphu on November 19. On his way back, he had put up in a homestay at Dhotrey located on the buffer zone of the Singalila National Park at an altitude of 8550 ft, 44 km from Darjeeling town.

“In the wee hours of Wednesday, he complained of respiratory problems and was rushed to the Sukhia Block Primary Health Centre. There he was declared brought dead,” stated Rajesh Chauhan, Deputy Chairman, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. A post mortem was conducted at the Darjeeling Sadar Hospital. “Following this, the body was handed over to the family members and we made all necessary arrangements for the transportation till Siliguri” added Chauhan.

On September 6, 2024, in a meeting with different stakeholders, the Darjeeling district administration had decided on a mandatory health checkup for tourists visiting Sandakphu. Located at an altitude of 3636m, Sandakphu, a tourist hotspot is the highest point of the state of Bengal. Two back-to-back meetings of the district administration with different departments, GTA, police, Shashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and tourism stakeholders in Darjeeling on that day had come up with a number of proposals to enhance safety and security for the tourists visiting Sandakphu.

Health issues are of major concern with most of the tourists arriving from the sea level and immediately going up to an altitude of 3636m without acclimatisation. The visitors include senior citizens also who are highly vulnerable. A proposal for a mandatory health check up at Maneybhanjyang before starting the journey to Sandakphu, was made in the meetings, along with an advisory to be issued to each tourist after the checkup, according to which they would have to act. However, all this is yet to see the light of day.