Darjeeling: Tourists travelling from Darjeeling to catch trains or flights are being urged to leave the Hills much earlier than scheduled as traffic congestion amid a heavy tourist rush has pushed journey times to the plains to nearly six hours instead of the usual two and a half or three hours., leaving visitors scrambling to make their onward connections.Tour operators have advised visitors to factor in substantial delays while travelling to New Jalpaiguri (NJP) railway station and Bagdogra airport, as traffic on key stretches has become increasingly unpredictable.“We are requesting tourists to leave early so that they do not miss their trains or flights. Traffic is extremely unpredictable at the moment as the tourist rush is very high,” said Pradeep Lama, general secretary of Darjeeling Association of Travel Agents (DATA).Lama said hotel occupancy was very high. “The Diwali season is also fully booked,” he added.The congestion is particularly severe along the Darjeeling–Ghoom–Jorebunglow–Tiger Hill stretch, where hundreds of vehicles carrying tourists to witness the sunrise at Tiger Hill create bottlenecks from before dawn. Long queues of vehicles are also reported along the route towards Kurseong, with Jorebunglow and Batasia Loop among the worst-affected points.B R Singh, a private vehicle driver who travelled down from Darjeeling on Friday, said the journey had taken several hours more than usual. “I left Darjeeling at 2 pm and, at 5 pm, I was only halfway through the journey, at Kurseong,” he said.The traffic snarls are also affecting sightseeing plans, with visitors spending hours on the road instead of at tourist spots. A journey of barely 8 km within Darjeeling, which once took 15-20 minutes, is now stretching to nearly two hours during peak morning and evening periods.Travel agents have advised tourists to check traffic conditions before beginning their descent and to keep a substantial buffer between their leaving Darjeeling and the scheduled departure time of their train or flight.
