The Jan Mukti Unorganized Sector Labour Union has demanded that the Rangeet Valley Passenger Ropeway service be resumed at the earliest. It also said that the staff working there should be retained in their posts no matter who takes over charge of operating the ropeway.
The ropeway, which covers an aerial distance of about 5 km up and down from Singmari to Tukvar, suspended services on 1 April after a lease term of 20 years signed between the West Bengal Forest Development Corporation (WBFDC) and a private company that operated it, the Conveyer and Ropeway Services Pvt Ltd (CRSPL), expired on 31 March.
“The peak tourist season is starting in the Hills, with another peak season in the month of October. The ropeway is one of the main tourist attractions here with many coming here to take a ride on it. We want it to be opened as soon as possible for which we have even submitted a memorandum to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration chairman Binoy Tamang on Friday. Apart from that, we want that the 22 people who are staffers of the CRSPL be retained in their posts even if another company takes the lease,” said the JUSLO advisor, Satyan Giri.
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“It is not only the staff that are affected by the closure of the ropeway, but people like vendors, taxi drivers, and of course the tourists. The GTA chairman has already talked with the ministers concerned regarding our demands, and we are hopeful that it will resume operations soon,” he added.
A staff of the ropeway, Janak Tholock, who works as the line in-charge said, “In our agreement with the CRSPL, it has been said that we can be transferred to other ropeways run by the company, but it will be better if we work here as I have been working here for about 20 years and know everything that is there in this line.”
The Ropeway first started operations in 1968, while that time, only the forest department used to run it. However, since 21 March 1998, it is being jointly being operated by the WBFDC and the CRSPL.
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