Sukna, Darjeeling

Not to be confused with Sukna.

Sukna is a village and a gram panchayat in the Kurseong CD block in the Kurseong subdivision of the Darjeeling district in the state of West Bengal, India.

Sukna
Village
Sukna railway station
Sukna Location in West Bengal, India Show map of West Bengal Sukna Sukna (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 26.7917°N 88.3624°E / 26.7917; 88.3624
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District	Darjeeling
Elevation	1,527 m (5,010 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	1,011
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	734009
Telephone/STD code	0353
Lok Sabha constituency	Darjeeling
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Kurseong
Website	darjeeling.gov.in

Geography

8km
5miles

S

I

K

K

I

M

N

E

P

A

L

Balason River

Mahananda
River

Teesta River

Mahananda
Wildlife
Sanctuary

NP

Margaret’s Hope TE

TE

Makaibari TE

TE

Jungpana TE

TE

Goomtee TE

TE

Castleton TE

TE

Balasun TE

TE

Lopchu TE

TE

Glenburn TE

TE

Kurseong

M

Cart Road

CT

Ambootia

R

Sevoke

R

Sittong

R

Simulbari TG

R

Giddapahar

R

Tindharia

R

Sukna

R

Rohini TG

R

Monteviot TG

R

Mangpu

R

Longview TG

R

Teesta Valley TG

R

Peshok TG

R

Takdah

R

Rangli Rangliot

R

  

Places and tea estates in the north-eastern portion of Darjeeling Sadar subdivision (including Rangli Rangliot CD block) and Kurseong subdivision in Darjeeling district
CT: census town, R: rural/ urban centre, N: neighbourhood, H: hill centre, NP: national park/ wildlife sanctuary, TE: tea estate, TA: tourist attraction
Abbreviations used in names – TG for Tea Garden (town/village), TE for Tea Estate
Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly

Location

Sukna is located at 26.7917°N 88.3624°E / 26.7917; 88.3624.

The main entrance to the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary is from Sukna. Those who have their own transport can get a guide (on payment) at the Sukna gate and enter the sanctuary. The area inside the sanctuary is hilly and small cars are not advisable. Elephant rides in the sanctuary are not available.^[1]

Sukna in the foothills of the Himalayas and is 11 km from Siliguri. There is a popular picnic spot on the bank of the Mahanada.^[2]

Area overview

The map alongside shows the eastern portion of the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region and a small portion of the terai region in its eastern and southern fringes, all of it in the Darjeeling district. In the Darjeeling Sadar subdivision 61.00% of the total population lives in the rural areas and 39.00% of the population lives in the urban areas. In the Kurseong subdivision 58.41% of the total population lives in the rural areas and 41.59% lives in the urban areas.^[3][4] There are 78 tea gardens/ estates (the figure varies slightly according to different sources), in the district, producing and largely exporting Darjeeling tea. It engages a large proportion of the population directly/ indirectly.^[5] Some tea gardens were identified in the 2011 census as census towns or villages.^[6] Such places are marked in the map as CT (census town) or R (rural/ urban centre). Specific tea estate pages are marked TE.

Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

Army camp

The 33 Corps of the Indian Army is based at Sukna. A Corps is made up of 3 divisions and has 45,000 to 50,000 troops.^[7][8][9]

Demographics

According to the 2011 Census of India, Sukna had a total population of 1,011 of which 480 (47%) were males and 531 (53%) were females. There were 95 persons in the age range of 0 to 6 years. The total number of literate people in Sukna was 830 (82.10% of the population over 6 years).^[10]

Transport

v t e Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
Legend
Darjeeling Bazaar 0 km 0 mi Darjeeling Batasia Loop (Loop Nº 5) 7 km 4 mi Ghum Jor Bungalow Rongbull 16 km 10 mi Sonada Dilaram 24 km 15 mi Tung 31 km 19 mi Kurseong Kurseong steam shed 38 km 24 mi Mahanadi Zig zag Nº 6 44 km 27 mi Gayabari Agony Point (Loop Nº 4) 50 km 31 mi Tindharia Tindharia workshops (P.M.O.) Zig zag Nº 3 Zig zag Nº 2 Chunbhatti Loop Nº 3 Zig zag Nº 1 (opened 1942) Loop Nº 2 (removed 1942) 62 km 39 mi Rangtong Hill Cart Road Loop Nº 1 (removed 1991; repl. w/ longer route) Hill Cart Road  Mahananda Sanctuary Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary   Hill Cart Road 70 km 43 mi Sukna NH 31 80 km 50 mi Siliguri Junction 80 km 50 mi Siliguri Junction Mahananda River Burdwan Road Vivekananda Road Hill Cart Road/St. Feeder Road 83 km 52 mi Siliguri Town Bagrakote level crossing broad gauge lines 88 km 55 mi New Jalpaiguri elev. 100 metres (330 ft) (opened 1964) broad gauge lines

The UNESCO World Heritage Site Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has a Special Jungle Safari daily from Siliguri to Tindharia and back. The light railway passes through Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary and the renowned Z-reverse between Sukna and Tindharia.^[11] The latter is "famous for the 'Agony Point' where the engine seems to overhang the edge as it negotiates a fierce curve of 18 metre radius, the toughest in the line."^[12]

Note: Open the section between Sukna and Hill Cart Road in the Route Chart given alongside.

Education

Sukna Higher Secondary School is an English-medium coeducational institution established in 1972. It has facilities for teaching from class V to class XII. It has 5 computers, a library with 500 books and a playground.^[13]

Kendriya Vidyalaya at Khaprail, PO Sukna follows the CBSE syllabus up to the higher secondary level.^[14]

Army Public School, Simulbari, Sukna, was started as Sisu Siksha Kendra, a pre-primary school in 1976. It grew to become Army School Khaprail in 1991 and became a senior secondary school in 2003. It is affiliated with the CBSE. There are priorities regarding admissions for children of service and ex-service personnel but children of civilians are also admitted.^[15]

Healthcare

Sukna Rural Hospital, with 30 beds, is the major government medical facility in the Kurseong CD block.^[16]

External links

• Media related to Category:Sukna at Wikimedia Commons

References

1. "Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary". Darjeeling tourism. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
2. "Sukna". North Bengal guide. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
3. "Darjeeling". District Profile - General Information. District administration. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
4. "District Statistical Handbook 2013 Darjeeling". Tables 2.2, 2.4b. Department of Planning and Statistics, Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
5. "Darjeeling Tea". District administration. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
6. "2011 Census – Primary Census Abstract Data Tables". West Bengal – District-wise. Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
7. "Doklam Standoff: Army moves troops of Sukna-based 33 corps to Sikkim". National Herald, 9 August 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
8. "Chinese Military Delegation in the Sukna Camp in Siliguri". Retrieved 1 March 2020.
9. Nandy, Chandan (12 August 2017). "Sukna-Based 33 Corps "Very Close" to India-China Border". TheQuint. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
10. "2011 Census – Primary Census Abstract Data Tables". West Bengal – District-wise. Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
11. "Time Table". Darjeeling Himalayan Railways. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
12. Speaking Stones:World Cultural Heritage Sites in India, Page 273: Mountain Railway, Eicher Goodearth Private Limited
13. "Sukna Higher Secondary School". ICBSE. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
14. "Kendriya Vidyalaya, Sukna, Darjeeling". India Study Channel. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
15. "Army Public School, Sukna". APSS. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
16. "Health & Family Welfare Department" (PDF). Health Statistics – Rural Hospitals. Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 1 March 2020.