Kalimpong tourist site shuts doors to visitors

Kalimpong: With the cases of Covid-19 being on a rise in Hills, the tourist destination, Charkhole, about 30km from Kalimpong, has been closed down for an indefinite period from Thursday. The decision to shut the tourist place, where many people flock to get a panoramic view of the Kanchenjunga was taken by the members of Charkhole Tourist Welfare Association.
The decision came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the country would be tackling then pandemic situation without hindering the livelihood of people.
Khagen Tamang, a member of the association said: “Charkhole has been popular among tourists but we are worried over the safety of our villagers. That is why, we closed the place indefinitely to contain the spread of the virus.”
However, other tourist destinations and hotels will stay open but a slew of safety measures will be followed. The district magistrate, R Vimala, said that the guidelines for hoteliers and drivers have already been circulated, laying a stress on three basic things like wearing masks, using hand sanitisers and maintaining physical distancing.
“The areas where guests are received must have wash basins and a logbook will have to be maintained so that the visitors can be traced in case any one of them tests positive for Covid-19. The drivers have been asked to sanitise their vehicles properly,” said the DM.
In hotels across Kalimpong, the occupancy of tourists has come down to 20% while there is no fresh booking as of now. Sanjay Pradhan, president of the Hotels and Restaurant Association of Kalimpong (HORAK) said the hotels are open and maintaining Covid protocols. “We have been advised by the DM to maintain the SOP as per the government norms. At present, there is no fresh booking from any tourist,” Pradhan added.
Some popular tourist lodges had advance bookings for April-May, but later, the tourists cancelled the bookings, according to sources. “The tourists are cancelling their bookings themselves, so we don’t have to shut the hotels this time,” said a member of Delo tourist lodge.
Locals are likely to take precautionary measures as they more conscious this time. “The situation is such that the government will take some time to decide on what should be done. But we think people will shut their areas, instead of the government imposing a lockdown,” said a Hills resident.