DARJEELING: The famed Darjeeling toy trains, British-built steam locomotives that chug along Hill Cart Road between Darjeeling and Ghum daily, have been eerily silent since Tuesday evening following a flash strike by contractual workers who haul coal that fuel the vintage locos.Altogether, four rides have been cancelled by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) over the two days, depriving 250-odd tourists of the joyride without which the Darjeeling experience is incomplete. Tickets are booked by tour operators well in advance.Unesco had given DHR the World Heritage status in 1999 to keep the steam legacy alive. The narrow gauge train has been operating on the meandering tracks since the 1880s.On Tuesday evening, tourists who trekked down to Darjeeling station to take the twohour joyride to Ghum via the picturesque Batasia Loop , returned disappointed on learning that the ride had been cancelled. The reason: six contractual workers had stopped loading coal in the engines from the day to protest the delay in payment of wages for August. The trains did not run on Wednesday either. The workers have said they will not haul coal till the wages are paid.For a single trip, 600-800kg of coal is required to be loaded to feed a single steam engine. The DHR operates three trips each day. During peak season , the number of trips increase to five.DHR organised a diesel run and refunded the passengers who had booked rides for the authentic steam experience. Though the DHR authorities were willing to run more trips with the diesel engine, there were no takers ‘Will begin work after we are paid’Kishore Suman, who has been hauling coal at the Darjeeling station for over three decades, alleged the contractor had not paid them wages for August.“We are not permanent employees. Hence, we have no fringe benefits. We depend on our monthly wage to sustain our family. Given the present circumstance, we cannot work,” he said While refusing to work, the protesters said they were not on strike. “We will begin hauling immediately after wages are paid,” said Kishore Rai, who has been hauling coal since 1978.“The bills are not passed on time. The contractor incurs a lot of expense. If he is not paid on time, it causes issues like these,” said a source.DHR director M K Narzary admitted rides had been hit due to problem in loading coal. “We could not contact the contractor. The procedures involved in clearing bills is timeconsuming. I have deputed officials to talk to the workers so that we can resolve the situation at the earliest,” he said.Tour operators are also concerned. “We book the ride 120 days in advance. Such lastminute cancellations leave our clients disappointed,” rued Suresh Periwal, proprietor of Clubside Tour and Travels.

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