Welcome to only the 2nd issue of Sikkim Ko Newsletter! Starting anything is nerve wracking and we were a little worried if we could pull this off but here we are. While last week we were a little starved for news, this week there have been some important developments. Let’s take a look at the week that was.
Khaas Khabar
It has been two years since the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood and the road to North Sikkim is still in pieces. This has effectively ground the tourism sector to a halt. Hotels are scraping by and taxi drivers are threatened by a few city runners. And just like the Gangtok-Siliguri highway, everyone is talking about alternatives. The State’s Lok Sabha MP, Indra Hang Subba met the Director General of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) last week to discuss the proposed all-weather alternative highway to North Sikkim. This was a follow-up to his earlier meeting with Minister of State [MoS] for Defence Sanjay Seth in New Delhi on 25 July when he had urged for the alternate highway to North Sikkim. The BRO has assured that detailed technical studies and feasibility assessments will be done to identify the most viable alignment. Meanwhile, Sikkim Ko has learnt of proposals of alternative alignment via Bey-Tholung to Lachen. For Lachung, the alternative could be via Bagrakote, Pedong, Nathula. Now, whether these are the alignments the BRO is looking at is not confirmed as yet. What does look likely though is the continued struggle of people in North, especially those in Lachen.
On the other hand, West Sikkim could have a railway connection in the future if all goes well with the Final Location Survey (FLS) of the proposed Melli–Dentam railway line. The Ministry of Railways approved a fund allocation of ₹8.48 crore for conducting the Final Location Survey (FLS) last week. The Lok Sabha MP, who hails from Dentam, had submitted the proposal for the Melli-Dentam railway line to the Railways Ministry in December last year. Earlier on 09 Dec last year, the MP had met Railways Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw who had then directed the Railways Ministry officials to conduct a preliminary feasibility study for the Melli-Dentam new railway line in Sikkim.
Meanwhile, the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), has started the process of hiring consultants for a feasibility study and preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) for an alternative highway to Darjeeling from Siliguri.
Also last week...
Some good news with Abhista Basnett from Pakyong, Sikkim, making it to the 23-member Indian squad for the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026 Qualifiers. The 14-year-old midfielder is seen as being instrumental in India’s journey to the qualifiers. Interestingly, this is the first time that India has qualified for the Championship. Earlier in 2005, it was among the 11 teams that had directly participated. Since the qualification system was started, India had never managed to qualify till this year.
Local hoteliers are teaming up with organizers of the upcoming Orchid Music Festival by way of discounts to festival-goers. Supported by the Government of Sikkim, the festival will take place on December 13, 2025, at Paljor Stadium, Gangtok. UK-based hit band Blue of the early 2000s and K-pop girl band Everglow, Nitesh Jung Kunwar from Nepal, Sonam Wangchen from Bhutan, and Sikkim’s Sofiyum will feature in the event.
A meeting regarding this was held last week on 08 Nov. A welcome move when it comes to better coordination and planning around such festivals that can make it bigger and promote tourism as well. One only hopes it is not a one-time affair and they continue to be held every year to truly make it a tourist attraction. Anyone remember the Mangan Music Festival?
Side Note
Forest Minister, Pintso Namgyal Lepcha informed the media that the state government will soon lift the ban on livestock grazing that was implemented in 1998. We recommend this old but interesting article on the issue.
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That's all for this week. See you next week!
