State provides 500 additional taxi permits for tours to Gangtok

Darjeeling: With the state government deciding to provide permits to 500 additional vehicles for trips between Gangtok and Darjeeling, tourists planning to travel to the Himalayan state can now breath a sigh of relief.

Moreover, 30 Darjeeling to Gangtok permits will be issued for taxis plying from syndicate to syndicate (share taxis) with immediate effect for the benefit of local commuters and budgeted tourists.

Presently, a hired vehicle charges something between Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000 for a trip to Gangtok. However, the per-passenger rate in shared vehicles is Rs 250.

Incidentally, 2,500 vehicles have been issued the Darjeeling- Sikkim vehicle permit as per the West Bengal Sikkim Reciprocal Transport Agreement.

"With the number of commuters between Bengal and Sikkim increasing by the day, 500 additional permits will be issued to taxis, luxury taxis and share taxis. Out of this 30 permits will be issued immediately to share taxis plying from the syndicate to syndicate between Sikkim and Darjeeling," stated Pradeep Lama, President, Pahar Terai Sanyukta Parivahan Mahasangha, an umbrella organisation of taxi syndicates of the district.

At present 4 taxi syndicates operate share taxis between Darjeeling and Gangtok with 84 share taxis plying. Out of the 84, only 14 have valid permits. The remaining 70 are plying without permits.

"Before the visit of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to the hills in last week of January this year we had brought this problem to the notice of the district administration. They had assured us of all help. The matter was brought to the notice of the Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal and the secretary, Transport department. Last Friday we had a meeting with Sandip Dutta, joint secretary, Transport department in Siliguri. He told us that 30 permits will be issued immediately to the share taxis," stated Lama.

The syndicates will choose the 30 taxis and hand over the necessary documents to the RTO, Darjeeling. After completion of necessary formalities, the permits will be issued from Darjeeling.

"We thank the Chief Minister and government authorities for their sympathetic consideration and early action," added Lama.