Our sutradhars got into an unfortunate situation when they planned to ride the Van Rani in SGNP. While the service has resumed since then, its breakdown is reflective of our attitude towards tourist hotspots
Sir PM and Lady Flora were dismayed to learn that the Van Rani toy train was not operational during a visit to Sanjay Gandhi National Park. ILLUSTRATION/UDAY MOHITE
WOO HOO! This wardrobe looks spiffy on you,” Lady Flora remarked on seeing her friend, Sir Pheroze, dressed in khaki cargos and a linen shirt. They were headed for a weekend trip to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, and were excited at the prospect of travelling on the Van Rani. Both were well aware of their limitations as SoBoites, unacquainted with the rigours of long-distance travel.
By the time they reached the location, it was afternoon. Lady Flora’s skin turned a light shade of pink, as a direct reaction to the heat, while Sir PM looked upset that his wardrobe had become a pale shadow since the earlier thumbs-up. Much to their dismay, after they arrived at the spot, they learnt that the toy train was not operational. An official on the spot offered bits of information to them, who were among many other unsuspecting tourists who had shown up without any prior intimation of the train’s no-show. It turned out that the popular tourist attraction had stopped operations due to a few mechanical issues, citing a faulty engine component.
“After having reopened the line on March 14 with much fanfare and VIPs smiling at the cameras, this breakdown is shocking,” shrieked Lady Flora. “…but not entirely surprising,” Sir PM responded cheekily, “It’s an egg-on-face scenario, especially after the buzz that was splashed across every newspaper. I hope common sense prevails and its maintenance is tackled in all seriousness. And to think that R43 crore was spent to purchase it and get it into running condition!” exclaimed Sir PM, despite his miserable condition thanks to the April heat.
Lady Flora had more to relay. “This toy train had begun services in 1970, and only recently, in May 2021, did it face a major break when that devastating Cyclone Tauktae had massively damaged the line’s infrastructure. I feel that this incident is symptomatic of the system itself. I heard that issues will be resolved from the root cause, but in reality, it holds a mirror to our approach. I might be wrong, and this could be a genuine one-off scenario, but we cannot ignore certain repeated issues…” she elaborated. “What do you mean?” enquired Sir PM, who had just gulped down an entire litre of water. “I feel that in this rush to ready things for some heaven-knows-what reason, a good job isn’t done. In other cases, upkeep of sites is ignored, leading to neglect, and eventually, ruin. This holds true for several sites that are tourist attractions. In fact, some have immense heritage value, leading to other related issues as well. The first spot that comes to mind is the Elephanta Caves, where the pathway that leads up to the historic site is in bad shape. Despite being the city’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, the tag doesn’t seem to hold much weight with the powers-that-be. This neglect is worrisome given the fact that tourist footfalls are high, especially in summer. Plus, most visitors to the cave site seem to have less civic sense, let alone interest in appreciating the grandeur of the rock-cut caves,” Lady Flora was seething by now, partly aided by the relentless heat and being stranded in a futile scenario.
Sir PM suggested they walk under the canopied stretch to cool things down, literally, as well as for their own mental state. Lady Flora shared, “Some visitors had travelled all the way from Nashik to make this visit during their short stay in the city. We city folk might take it for granted, but for many out-of-towners, such no-shows are massive mood dampeners, not to forget their precious time and money lost. I am not sure why authorities in charge of tourist attractions take these critical elements for granted. Another location is the Gateway of India plaza. The place is in dire need of strict crowd control measures; don’t even get me started on the litter that we spot during our walks…”
Sir PM bemoaned the plight of these popular favourites, “It’s an endless list… Banganga, Marine Drive promenade, the Dadar and Mahim shorelines. What can I say about the boundary area around my beloved CSMT! It’s another UNESCO World Heritage Site that needs strict surveillance; heavy fines should be implemented on vandals and litterbugs.”
By now it was nightfall and time for the SoBoites to head back home. “Imagine if we had more green havens like these?” smiled Lady Flora. “I welcome it in our foliage-deprived metropolis, but it needn’t have toy trains,” he winked.
While our sutradhars were happy to note that the services have resumed since then, they intend to brave it out only after they fully recover from the previous trek, just in case of an encore.
mid-day’s Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city’s sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana
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The views expressed in this column are the individual’s and don’t represent those of the paper.
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