British era Land Rover vehicle parked at Darjeeling town.These Land Rovers – most of them over 50 years-old – are expected to be replaced by Mahindra Boleros. The decision to ban them from Sandakphu and Maneybhajan is to prevent any untoward incident that could happen due to the sheer age of these vehicles. In the interest of passenger and other vehicles’ safety, these Land Rovers will be retired from the treacherous Sandakphu and Maneybhajan circuits.
The Land Rovers that have been plying in Sandakphu and Maneybhajan are known as the lifeline of these mountainous parts, where non 4X4 vehicles do not operate due to the extremely steep inclines involved. These vehicles were first imported into India by British tea planters, who operated the various tea estates that Darjeeling is now famous for.
Over the years, most of the original equipment in these Land Rovers, including their petrol engines were replaced by Mahindra/Isuzu Diesel components. While this gave them a fresh lease of life for a couple of decades, they are now deemed dangerous by the Government of West Bengal, which feels that they’re too old for safe operation Via MilleniumPost... See more
Location: Keventers, Chauk Bazaar, Darjeeling, West Bengal, India
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