City of Joy on wheels
TT BUREAU The
Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC) and the West Bengal Tourism Department have started operating an air conditioned tram service from Esplanade to Shyambazar in North Kolkata and Kidderpore in the South. Talking about the recent initiative that was launched in the last week of June, Vikram Sen, Principal Secretary, West Bengal Tourism Department informs, “In this renovated AC tram, there will be five trips taking tourists across the heritage buildings in Kolkata—two in the morning and three during
the evening. The North Kolkata ride will start from Esplanade at 7.30 am and take passengers through Dalhousie Square, Chitpore, Jorasanko Thakurbari to Shyambazar and back via College Street. In the evening, the tram will ply from Esplanade to Kidderpore through the Maidan. The 260 fare includes tea and snacks to be served by IRCTC during the ride. Tickets can be booked online from the IRCTC website or bought from the Esplanade tram depot.”
Currently, around 40 per cent bookings come from the IRCTC website while almost 60 per cent is spot bookings, Sen adds. Encouraging the B2B travel fraternity to come forward and book such tours, Sen confirms the agents will be given a commission of five per cent. “In case they book all the 24 seats, we will give the travel agents a commission of 15 per cent as well,” he adds. The 24-seater single- coach tram has a steel body and reinforced tinted glass windows. The interior has plush seats and walls with photographs of old Kolkata. An LCD screen is placed behind the driver’s cabin to screen short clips on the city’s heritage, tourist
attractions and Bengal’s renowned personalities.
Moving beyond wheels to air, Pawan Hans has also recently started its operations from Kolkata. The ride in a twin-engine, 11-seater Dolphin chopper, manufactured by the France-based Eurocopter, takes off from the helipad at the Royal Calcutta Turf Club in the heart of the city and hovers over the city’s landmarks. Passengers planning to enjoy the helicopter joyride have to dole out ` 1,700 for a 10-minute trip. According to Sen, flying to destinations in North Bengal may soon become easier. The state-run helicopter operator is expected to introduce fixed-wing aircraft shortly to places such as Cooch Behar, Bagdogra, Malda and Siliguri.
“We have suggested Pawan Hans three to four places in North Bengal including Malda.
There are old airstrips in these places and some of them need to be refurbished. Pawan Hans will go and examine the airstrips,” the principal secretary reveals.