Writes: Vivek Chhetri
Railway minister Suresh Prabhu yesterday said the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) would promote the Darjeeling tourism circuit and its portal would be used to boost local handicraft throughout the country.
Prabhu was addressing a programme where a “fund-in-trust” agreement was signed between the ministry of railways and Unesco for preparing the Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan (CCMP) for the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
The railways is paying Unesco Rs 4.2 crore for preparing the plan.
The agreement was signed by R.K. Verma, secretary, Railway Board, and Shigeru Aoyagi, the director of Unesco and its representative in India, Bhutan, the Maldives and Sri Lanka, at the Gorkha Rangamanch Bhavan here.
“The IRCTC will promote the Darjeeling tourism circuit. The IRCTC portal will also be used to promote handicrafts of local craftsmen and we will work closely with the GTA,” said Prabhu.
At the programme, the minister flagged off 14 projects implemented by the Eastern Railway, South Eastern Railway and Metro Railway. Prabhu directed railway officials to conduct a survey on constructing a rail link between Siliguri and Darjeeling through Mirik and look at the possibility of operating the now defunct Gulma station near Siliguri.
The minister donated Rs 5 lakh to the Kanchenjungha Dance Academy that performed at the event.
[Via: Telegraph]
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