M A I N   N E W S

Kalka-Shimla Railway is now world heritage site
Decision taken by UNESCO in Canada on Monday
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 8
Describing the Kalka-Shimla railway line as “one of the most authentic mountain railways in the world,” UNESCO yesterday recognised it as a World Heritage Site.

The decision to add the historic Kalka-Shimla narrow gauge railway to the coveted list was taken at a meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Quebec City, Canada, yesterday. The Indian delegation at the meeting was led by secretary, Railway Board, ministry of railways, Mathew John.

With this decision, the Indian Railways has secured world heritage status for their fourth line. The other three in the list are the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in West Bengal, the Nilgiri Mountain Railway near Ooty in Tamil Nadu and the Chhatarpati Shivaji Terminal (erstwhile Bombay Victoria Terminal) in Mumbai.

The Kalka-Shimla Railway (KSR) line was opened to traffic on November 9, 1903. During its six-hour journey on the 96 km narrow gauge route from Kalka to Shimla, the line runs through 103 tunnels, several arched bridges and picturesque stations like Dharampur, Barog and Solan.

Rail travel on the route comes in a variety of options such as the Deluxe Rail Motor Car, the Shivalik Deluxe Express, the Shivalik Palace Tourist Coach and the Shivalik Queen Tourist Coach.

The KSR was commissioned initially with modified version of steam locomotives used in the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway but soon more powerful, larger and compact locomotives were included.

It was on this railway that the earliest version of petrol driven cars, resembling the Royal Char-a-banc carriages, became commercially successful and also witnessed a plethora of technology changes with steam, petrol and diesel power for trains running on its hilly terrain.

Taking a journey on this line by any of these trains offers a unique opportunity to experience the majestic Himalayas and their conquest through engineering construction skills more than a 100 years ago.

Kalka-Shimla Rail Track
The brain that made it possible
Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 8
The coveted “world heritage site” status to the 104-year-old Shimla-Kalka rail track is a tribute to Bhalkoo, an illiterate genius who played a vital role in translating the dream project of the British into a reality. It will also put the hill state on the world heritage map and help boost tourism.

The engineer marvel called the “toy train” could not have become a realty but for Bhalkoo, a man of extraordinary engineering acumen who came to the rescue of British engineers every time the project hit a roadblock. The British came close to abandoning the project on several occasions, but Bhalkoo, who claimed that the trace of the rail track had been revealed to him by his “devta” (deity), put them on the “right” track.

However, his contribution went virtually unnoticed and he remained an unsung hero all these years. Some recognition came only during the centenary celebrations organised to mark the 100 years of the rail track on November 9, 2003. Subsequently, his bust was installed at Chail, close to his village, Jhajja.

It was also announced that a railway museum will be set up in his memory, but the project has not come up so far.

A celibate, Bhalkoo had little interest in the materialistic world. The people believed that he was blessed with supernatural powers that transformed him into “Baba Bhalkoo” over a period of time.

His shabby looks and unclean habits not withstanding, even the British respected him. The manner in which he pinpointed the exact sites for boring tunnels or constructing bridges with a long staff that he always carried with him, they also started believing that he possessed supernatural powers. His matted hair provided shelter to lice, which he used to feed by pouring flour and sugar over his head. He claimed his “devta” communicated with him through the lice.

British engineers had full faith in his engineering capabilities. They had issued numerous certificates to him. He was not only associated with the construction of the Kalka-Shimla rail track but was also instrumental in laying out the alignment of the Hindustan-Tibet road while serving in the hills road division.

He would be remembered for his role in laying the toughest and the most expensive projects of its times, involving construction of 107 tunnels, numerous lofty arched viaducts, over 800 small and big bridges and continuous succession of as many as 919 reverse curves. The 95.4-km narrow-gauge track climbs to 7,000 ft at Shimla from 2,200 ft at Kalka passing through valleys and spurs, flanking mountains. It became operational on November 9, 1903. At present, it has 102 tunnels, the rest having caved in over the years.

The contract for the construction was awarded to the Delhi-Umbala Company in 1898 at an estimated cost of Rs 86,78,500.

However, the cost doubled during the execution of the project and it was finally purchased by the state in 1906 for Rs 1,71,07,748.