Sikkim

CM Prem Singh Tamang leads a state without Opposition in the Assembly, but faces dual challenges of ecological crises and sustainable development

Six people were killed and 15 others injured as a bus plunged into a 150-ft-deep gorge near the West Bengal-Sikkim border on Saturday afternoon, police said. The accident happened between Andheri and Atal Setu, about 1 km from the Rangpo border, around 3 pm, they said. The private bus, heading to Gangtok from Siliguri, veered off the NH-10 and crash-landed on the bank of the Teesta river, said SP of West Bengal's Kalimpong district Srihari Pandey. The identities of the deceased and the injured were being ascertained, police said, adding that there was a woman among the deceased. The injured persons were initially taken to a health centre in Rangpo for treatment and later moved to various hospitals in Sikkim, they said. Police said the number of deaths is likely to go up as many injured passengers were very critical. Among the passengers on the bus when the accident happened were some tourists, they said. The bus, named 'Quality', used to operate daily between Siliguri, the large

The two-phase Army Commanders' Conference during which the army will review current operational preparedness and deliberate on critical strategies is set to begin in Sikkim on Thursday. The second ACC this year is being organised in a hybrid mode, with the first phase planned on October 10-11 in a forward location at Gangtok, the defence ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. Top army commanders will brainstorm conceptual issues, and review and assess the "overall security situation" during the key conference. "As the nation faces numerous regional security challenges, the upcoming Army Commanders' Conference scheduled to commence in Sikkim tomorrow, assumes significance," it said. Conducting the conference of senior commanders at a forward location underlines the Indian Army's "focus on ground realities", the ministry said. The commanders' conclave in a forward area in Sikkim, which is close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC), comes amid the lingering border row in eastern .

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang asked the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and state government officials to find out ways to improve road infrastructure, particularly in the strategically crucial North Sikkim. At the high-level review meeting held at the Chief Minister's official residence late Monday evening, Tamang stressed the need to find immediate and sustainable solutions to address road infrastructure in vulnerable and landslide-prone areas, particularly in North Sikkim, officials said. A joint inspection of critical regions was agreed upon to ensure a comprehensive assessment and action plan. The chief minister emphasised the importance of speeding up joint inspections and urged the officials to ensure swift execution of necessary actions. He also asked for restoration of damaged roads across the state on an urgent basis and called for immediate steps to expedite the recovery process. Tamang expressed his gratitude to BRO for its active participation and valuable .

The Sikkim government on Wednesday announced a 100 per cent concession on bus fares for persons with over 40 per cent disability and women in the BPL category, an official notification said. The order issued by the state transport department said that the facility can be availed of in both intra and inter-state services effective immediately. To avail of the concession, PWDs (persons with disability) must produce a valid Unique Disability ID card issued by the Centre, certifying 40 per cent or above degree of disability. Women in the BPL category must produce a BPL certificate issued by Directorate of Economics, Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation (DESME), the order added.

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang announced that former MLAs would now receive a minimum monthly pension of Rs 50,000. Tamang made the announcement at the 22nd Foundation Day of Former Legislators Federation of Sikkim (FLFS) on Saturday. The chief minister said former legislators who had served a single term as MLA will now receive a monthly pension of Rs 50,000. At present, they are getting Rs 22,000 as monthly pension. Former legislators who have served two terms or more as MLA will now get Rs 55,000 as pension from Rs 25,000, Tamang said. The CM also announced that the Sikkim government will provide an annual grant-in-aid of Rs 20 lakh to the Former Legislators Federation of Sikkim. This fund is meant to meet the emergency and medical needs of former legislators and to enhance their support system, he said.

In the wake of landslides in Sikkim, the Congress on Wednesday hit out at the government and said hydel projects in ecologically fragile regions have been coming up over the past few years without giving adequate thought to their cumulative environmental impact. The opposition party also asserted that dams on the Teesta river are the prime example of how ecology is being fundamentally altered with grave consequences for this and future generations. A massive landslide struck east Sikkim on Tuesday, damaging parts of a 510-mw hydroelectric project on the Teesta river. The landslide happened at Dipu Dara near Singtam in Gangtok district around 7.30 am, causing significant damage to the powerhouse of the Teesta Stage V hydroelectric project of the NHPC. In a statement, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said a series of landslide disasters in Sikkim has substantially damaged the Teesta V, a 510 MW hydel power station on the Teesta. This disaster comes o

The project was under restoration following the glacial outburst in October last year, which had caused significant damage

A massive landslide struck East Sikkim on Tuesday, damaging parts of a 510-mw hydroelectric project on the Teesta river, officials said. The landslide happened at Dipu Dara near Singtam around 7 am, causing significant damage to the powerhouse of the Teesta Stage V hydroelectric project of the NHPC, they said. Around 17-18 houses were also damaged by the landslide, following which the affected families were moved to the NHPC quarters, they added.

All taxi drivers in Sikkim have been directed to compulsorily provide QR codes as an additional payment option to the passengers by July 15, a senior official said on Wednesday. The decision was taken in view of several complaints from the public over providing accurate fares to drivers due to the non-availability change either with the driver or the passenger, resulting in arguments and traffic jams, he said. "All drivers are to compulsorily provide the QR code by July 15, 2024, (as an additional payment option) and affix one on the front windscreen of the vehicle facing the passenger and another at the rear seat of the vehicle," the Transport Commissioner-cum-Secretary Raj Yadav said in a circular. The mandatory display of the QR code on the front and rear side of the taxis was ordered to address this issue of haggling between the taxi drivers and commuters on payment issues, Yadav said, adding that a meeting was held recently with the stakeholders/local taxi associations, where i

The Mangan district administration on Tuesday ordered the closure of all government schools in the district with immediate effect due to safety concerns of students in view of damage to property and road blockages. An ordered issued by District Magistrate Hem Kumar Chettri said government schools in Manul, Singhik, Mangan and Mangshilla clusters of Mangan block and Lingdong, Hee Gyathang, Passingdong, Lingzya, Tingvong and Gor clusters of Dzongu block will remain closed till further orders. The order stated that the district magistrate deemed it unsafe for the students to attend schools in view of the damage to property and road blockages in different areas of Mangan district due to continuous and heavy rainfall that occurred on the intervening night of June 12-13. The heads and staff of schools shall remain in the station, the order said, adding the decision shall come into force with immediate effect and shall remain valid till further orders. Incessant rains since June 12 wreake

The much-delayed evacuation of stranded tourists began by road from Toong in Sikkim's Mangan district on Monday noon, officials said. So far, a total of nine tourists have been evacuated, they said. The evacuation process is being led by the Mangan District Magistrate Hem Kumar Chettri and officials from Tourism and Civil Aviation and Forest Departments, besides the Travel Agent Association of Sikkim (TAAS). Despite incessant rains and multiple slides to cross over, the team is handling the evacuation with safety, care and caution, in batches, they said. Around 1200 tourists, including some foreigners, are stranded in Lachung town for the past one week as the road and communication networks have been crippled by torrential rains and landslides in several areas of Mangan district disrupting connectivity with the rest of the country. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is carrying out the restoration of the road network to facilitate vehicular traffic to and from Mangan district at

The met body has also said that occasional intense spells of rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds are "very likely" in the region.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) on Saturday said it has mobilised huge manpower and machinery to restore road connectivity to North Sikkim. At least six people have been killed as landslides and heavy rain impacted the Himalayan state severely, damaging properties and disrupting road connectivity, power and food supplies and mobile networks in several areas. Multiple landslides at various stretches, including Dikchu-Sanklang-Toong, Mangan-Sanklang, Singtham-Rangrang and Rangrang-Toong, besides collapse of the vital Sanklang suspension bridge, resulted in the severing of connectivity to North Sikkim, leaving around 1,200-1,500 tourists stranded. "The BRO under Project SWASTIK has swung into restoration efforts by mobilising huge manpower and machinery to restore connectivity to North Sikkim at the earliest," it said in a statement. Heavy earth-moving equipment has been deployed on the Dikchu-Sanklang-Toong Road to restore connectivity, with 10 km of road already being cleared fr

Following incessant rainfall causing devastation in neighbouring Sikkim resulting in overflowing of the Teesta river, the West Bengal Irrigation department issued an alert for the northern districts of the state, an official said on Friday. The release of water from the barrages has resulted in rising the water level of the Teesta and because of that there is a threat of flood in areas on both sides of Teesta in Jalpaiguri district, he said. Teesta is one of the major rivers of the state, and Jalpaiguri district is in the floodplain of this river. A barrage across the river was built at Gajoldoba in the district. Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts in the northern part of West Bengal share borders with Sikkim where rain-triggered landslides left a trail of destruction and six dead people on Thursday. "The water of Teesta is rising because of the release of water from barrages in Sikkim. Teesta is coming down with great speed and an alert has been issued in this regard. We have taken

Heavy rains triggered landslides at several locations in Mangan district, which covers north Sikkim and lies about 100 km north of the state capital Gangtok

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Friday announced his decision to vacate Soreng-Chakung assembly constituency and continue to represent Rhenock seat. The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha supremo was elected from the two seats in the assembly elections. The SKM swept the polls, winning 31 of the 32 constituencies. In a Facebook post, Tamang said, "I apologise to the people of Soreng-Chakung constituency as I have decided to step aside, allowing an honest and loyal party functionary to serve you as your legislator." The announcement came a day before the SKM supremo was bound to take a decision as per the Conduct of Election Rules 1961, under Section 67/A, which mandates that one of the two constituencies must be relinquished within 14 days of the announcement of results. "Tomorrow, 15th June, marks the last day for this decision. Thus, with a heavy heart, I must make this crucial announcement, today," Tamang, the senior-most MLA in the assembly serving a seventh straight term, ...

At least six people were killed and 1,500-odd tourists stranded as massive landslides triggered by incessant rainfall caused devastation in northern Sikkim's Mangan district, officials said on Thursday. A newly-constructed bailey bridge at Sangkalang collapsed snapping the link between Mangan with Dzongu and Chungthang. Landslides blocked stretches of roads and several houses were inundated or damaged, while electricity poles were swept away, they said. Towns such as Dzongu, Chungthang, Lachen, and Lachung in Mangan district known for popular tourist spots like Gurudongmar Lake and Yunthang Valley have now been cut off from the rest of the country. Three persons each died in Pakshep and Ambhithang villages, Mangan District Magistrate Hem Kumar Chettri said. A number of houses were damaged in Geythang and Nampathang. A relief camp has been set up at Pakshep for the displaced people, Chettri said. The district magistrate also held a meeting with other officials to take stock of the

At least one person was killed and five others went missing as massive landslides triggered by incessant rainfall caused devastation in Sikkim's Mangan district, officials said on Thursday. Landslides blocked stretches of roads and several houses were inundated or damaged, while electricity poles were swept away, they said. The body of a person was found in Pakshep area of Mangan, while three persons went missing from Ambithang near Rangrang and two others from Pakshep. Three houses were damaged in Geythang, while several houses were damaged and roads blocked at Nampathang near Pentok, they said. The Bringbong police outpost was shifted to another nearby location due to a landslide while the foundation of a bridge at Sankalan was damaged. Mobile network services were affected in North Sikkim even as a request was made by the district administration to send an SDRF team with ration to Mangan, the officials said. Meanwhile, Mangan District Magistrate Hem Kumar Chettri convened an u

The hike is expected to benefit millions, including teachers, health care professionals, police personnel, administrative staff, among others