Sidrapong Hydel Power Station

Sidrapong Hydel Power Station, located at the foothills of Arya Tea Estate at an altitude of 3,600 ft (1,100 m) and 12 km from Darjeeling town via Bloomfield Tea Estate, is the oldest hydel power station or hydroelectric power plant in India.

There are two approaches to the station and one can choose either as per their liking. The first approach is via Arya Tea Estate. The road up to the tea factory building is well laid and accessible by vehicles, covering a distance of 6 km from Darjeeling. Beyond the tea factory thence, there exists a steep pony track up to Sidrapong Forebay covering a length of about 3 km. This approach, though not completely developed, offers an added incentive. Visitors are required to travel through the scenic tea gardens of Arya Tea Estate.

The second approach to Sidrapong Power Station is via Bloomfield tea factory, the same covering a stretch of 11 km. The existing foot track beyond Bloomfield factory was developed by the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council to a 14-foot-wide (4.3 m) metalled road and visitors need no longer trek any distance to reach the Sidrapong Forebay. One simply needs to cross the Kotwali Jhora through a new bridge near the existing intake. This new all-weather road is today the most popular among visitors.

The fateful meeting of the Municipal Commissioners of Darjeeling held on 11 February 1896, presided over by Mr. R. T. Greer, I.C.S., the then Deputy Commissioner of Darjeeling and the Chairman of Darjeeling Municipality, resolved to set up a Hydro Power Station to light up Darjeeling town by seeking a loan of Rs. 1 lakh (Rs. 100,000) from the Government. A site for the power station was selected at the foot of the Arya Tea Estate at Sidrapong, what was then a fine orchard of the Maharajah of Burdwan and considering the importance of the scheme in the public interest, Maharajahdiraja Sir Bijoy Chand Mahatab Bahadur, was pleased to make it over the municipality. The work for the installation of power station started immediately. The machines and equipment came from Britain. There being no proper road communication and all equipment, machinery and construction materials had to be transported manually—a Herculean task, quite inconceivable in the present day.

The first plant consisted of two 65 kW Crompton-Brunton single-phase, 2300 volts and 83.3 hertz alternators coupled with two Gunther's Turbines. India's first Hydro-Electric Power Station with 2× x 65 kW capacity was commissioned on 10 November 1897 by Sir C. C. Stevens, the then Acting Lieutenant Governor of Bengal. It is a noteworthy fact that the first power utility run on commercial basis for use of general public in India was developed in public sector under state patronage. The total initial cost of installation of this power station had been only Rs. 1.2 lakhs (120,000 rupees).

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