Darjeeling toy train's contractual workers get paid

Darjeeling: Contractual workers of the world heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Railways have received wages for the months of April and May.

In a report that this newspaper published on June 13, the plight of these contractual workers was highlighted. They had complained of non-receipt of wages for the months of April and May during the lockdown period and hence were in great despair.

Soon after the publication of the news, wages were handed over to the contractual workers. "I received a note from the Railways ordering me to release the wages and I did so immediately. They have received wages for the months of April and May," stated Animesh Das, the contractor talking to Millennium Post.

Earlier, when he had been asked about the non-receipt of wages, he had stated that the Principal Contractor for the workers is the Railways. "They pay me and I, in turn, disburse the wages. They have not given me any instruction regarding these two months. If they give me an order, I can pay the workers and later claim the amount. Without an order they might not pay me later stating that the train did not run and workers did not come to work," he had then stated.

With the publication of the news, Anit Thapa, Chairman, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, had vehemently criticised the Railways. He had asked the Railways to immediately release the due wages and also ensure that there is no rerun of such incidents. There are 11 contractual workers in Darjeeling; 6 in Kurseong; 7 in Tindharia and 7 in Siliguri.

In 1879, work first started on the DHR, then called the Darjeeling Steam Tramways. The DHR was inscribed as a world heritage site on December 2, 1999.