Darjeeling shutdown called off; economy in tatters after 104-day protest

Around Rs 140 crore has been lost in the tourism sector alone on account of the protests for a separate state of Gorkhaland

The indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling hills has been called off after 104 days of continued agitation. However, the resolution seems to have come too late; the region stares at a Rs 590-crore loss with the tourism and tea industry in a state of turmoil this year.

The tourism sector in the northern West Bengal-Gangtok belt, which churns out an estimated Rs 800 crore each year has lost at least 17 per cent of its annual earnings. Room occupancy rates, according to the East Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators Association (EHTTOA), is below 25 per cent in Darjeeling and below 35