Desperate times call for a desperate measure.
Akash Chhetri, 40, from Siliguri had never dreamt that his autorickshaw would be hired for a trip up the hills to Kalimpong. In these difficult times, nothing can be predicted.
“I was at the Kalimpong stand on Sevoke Road (in Siliguri) this morning when two people said they were not finding any vehicle to ferry them to Kalimpong and whether I would try taking my auto,” Chhetri told The Telegraph over the phone on Sunday. “I thought I need to take this mental block out of my head and try and climb up to Kalimpong.”
The two male travellers seemed to have come from Calcutta, said the driver.
Vehicles were off roads on Sunday because of the “Janata curfew” announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Chhetri has had a fair share of long distance drive in his one-and-half-year old auto.
“I frequently go to Kakarvitta (Nepal border town), about 35km from Siliguri, and have also been to Birpara which is about 115km away,” said Chhetri.
The drive to Kakarvitta and Birpara is through the plains.
Kalimpong is situated at an altitude of 4,091ft and has a few steep inclines beyond Chitray, about 13km downhill the Kalimpong town. Hardly no auto plies in the Darjeeling hills.
“I did not face any problem. We started around 8am and reached Kalimpong about 11.30am. I was back in Siliguri by 3.30pm,” said Chhetri who took on board a friend Bablu Roy, 24, for company during the 67km drive.
How much did he charge for the trip to Kalimpong? “I just charged Rs 1,800,”said Chhetri.
He is a native of Birpara but has been staying in Siliguri with his wife and two daughters for many years.
Chhetri started driving the auto just a year ago. “I had two ambulances, a Bolero and a Maruti van. But I was fed up with drivers and so, decided to sell off the ambulances and bought an auto, which I drive by myself.”
The owner-turned-auto driver says he earns around Rs 600 to Rs 700 on a normal day.
Chhetri’s auto ride is definitely a rare moment when desperate passengers have used this mode of transport to the hills. But in the past, adventure seekers, mostly from outside the country, have climbed not just to Kalimpong but also to Tiger hill in autos.