The Sikkim government has decided to reopen some destinations in the northern parts of the mountain state, much to the elation of tourism industry stakeholders anticipating good footfall in the upcoming festive season.

On Sunday, C.S. Rao, the additional chief secretary of Sikkim tourism and civil aviation department, said that from Monday, tourists can visit Lachung in Mangan.

This district in north Sikkim is near the China border, with nearby locations like the scenic Yumthang valley and Zero Point.

Tourists can visit these places after a gap of four months. Bad roads had hindered connectivity so far.

“North Sikkim (Mangan district) had remained closed to tourists since the end of May this year. From tomorrow (Monday), it will reopen for tourists. Online permits are being issued. Tourists can visit Lachung and its surrounding areas,” Rao said in a news conference.

Lachen and the famous Gurudongmar Lake, however, will remain closed for tourists because of bad roads. “Lachen will reopen in the next tourist season,” Rao said.

He added that the opening of a bridge at Sangkalang would cut travel time of tourists headed towards Chungthang, at the juncture of Lachen and Lachung, by around 90 minutes.

As repair work of roads and bridges, which got damaged because of flash floods, landslides and cave-ins are still on in different locations of north Sikkim, it has been decided that every day, all tourist vehicles heading towards Lachung should cross the Sangkalang bridge by 1pm, while those heading towards Gangtok should cross the Toong bridge by 2pm. “This will help reduce traffic congestion,” said a source.

Those associated with the tourism industry hailed the decision.

“It is indeed good news that Lachung has been reopened for tourists. People who visit north Bengal can also visit north Sikkim during the upcoming festive season,” said Samrat Sanyal, general secretary, Himalayan Hospitality & Tourism Development Network.

“We hope that Lachen and Gurudongmar Lake also reopen soon for tourists,” he said.

Battlefield tourism

C.S. Rao, the additional chief secretary of Sikkim tourism and civil aviation department, on Sunday said that on September 27, World Tourism Day, the Sikkim government will open Cho-la and Doklam as two new sites for tourism under the Centre’s initiative of “battlefield tourism”.

The decision was made at a recent meeting held among top officials of the state government, the army and the Border Roads Organisation.

Initially, it was planned to allow 25 tourist vehicles to these two locations every day. While Cho-la, a mountain pass, is known for the India-China war in 1967, Doklam, at the tri-junction of India, China, and Bhutan, is known for the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in 2017.