Almost seven years after being accorded the status of a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, help finally seems to be at hand for the cash-strapped Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR). Running into losses worth a few crores annually, the DHR could soon have a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in place to manage its affairs.‘‘The Railway Board has cleared the creation of an SPV for DHR. This SPV would be an independent management unit with the objective of doing everything to preserve and make the DHR last for posterity,’’ said a senior Railway Board official. ‘‘The idea is to effectively manage the DHR heritage site in coordination with other stakeholders,’’ the official added. Sources said both DHR and Nilgiri Mountain Railways run into financial losses worth Rs 10 crore every year. Railway officials say detailed plans are being worked out for the creation of the SPV. ‘‘Once the SPV is in place, we may even enter into a joint-venture with a private partner to manage the DHR,’’ said an official. Officials say that although the SPV was originally meant for DHR, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway, also a World Heritage Site, has subsequently been included in the proposed scheme of things.‘‘One of the main objectives of UNESCO’s World Heritage Mission is to encourage states to put in place management plans and reporting systems on the conservation status of world heritage sites falling within their respective jurisdictions. The creation of an SPV would ensure that the mountain railways of India are well preserved over the coming decades,’’ another official added.The Railway Ministry is already gearing up to market DHR in a big way. In a bid to generate interest and attract foreign tourists to DHR, the Northeast Frontier Railways plans to showcase working steam excursions on broad gauge, meter gauge and narrow gauge starting August. ‘‘It is for the first time that steam engines would be operating on all three gauges between Siliguri-Chalsa, Siliguri-Bagdogra and Siliguri-Darjeeling,’’ said a Railway Board official.While a ceremonial run has been planned for August 23, there are plans to have tourist runs on October 15, November 19, December 17 and January 14, 2007.Unesco: A model for future developments‘‘The mountain railways of India are outstanding examples of the interchange of values on developments in technology, and the impact of innovative transportation system on the social and economic development of a multicultural region, which was to serve as a model for similar developments in many parts of the world,’’ says the UNESCO website, justifying the World Heritage Area status for the mountain railways of India. ‘‘The development of railways in the 19th century had a profound influence on social and economic developments in many parts of the world. The mountain railways of India are outstanding examples of a technological ensemble, representing different phases of the development in high mountain areas,’’ it adds. — ENS
