Sikkim receive 60per cent of tourism funds from Ministry of Tourism (MoT) earmarked for NE states
Gangtok, Dec 31 : Sikkim has received a record sanction of 60 per cent of the total funds for tourism projects earmarked by the Union Ministry of Tourism (MoT) for the entire Northeastern states during 2007-08, an official report stated.
In its annual report, the state tourism department said the Union Ministry of Tourism had sanctioned 19 tourism projects for 2007-08, totalling to around Rs 75.46 crore.
Besides these MoT projects, a Rs 27.24 crore project for construction of passenger ropeway from Namchi to Samdruptse in South Sikkim has been funded by the DoNER Ministry and State plan. The project has achieved 20 per cent progress.
The department also claimed that a large number of tourism projects sanctioned during 2006-07 and 2007-08 are either completed or in progress.
''As a result of its incredible performance, Sikkim Tourism has been able to establish an excellent track record with the Union Ministry of Tourism,'' the report said, adding, this has certainly attributed to more Centrally sponsored schemes from MoT since 2002.
Many tourism proposals prioritised for 2008-09 are already under active consideration of MoT, the report states.
For 2008-09, Sikkim has been selected as the only state in the entire Northeast region for the 'Major Destination Development Project' for Gangtok. The project is being funded by MoT at a tentative cost of Rs 23.9 crore. A proposal worth Rs 14.30 crore is also pending before MoT for development of herbal medical tourism Rakdong-Tintek in East Sikkim.
Endorsing its tourism image, the hilly state has received the Northeast award of the MoT for 'Best Tourism Performing State' consecutively for the last seven years. Sikkim also shared the national award in tourism with Maharashtra in 2007-08.
As a result of large scale tourism value additions, Sikkim has witnessed a steady increase of tourist arrivals benefitting a large section of local community and tourism stakeholders. The average annual increase in tourism footfalls in Sikkim over the past five years is to the order of 22 per cent, the report states.
A record number of 5.5 lakh tourists visited Sikkim during this year and the state is targetting to attract at least seven lakh tourists by the next three years.
--- UNI
Friday, January 2, 2009
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Army rescues 1300 stuck in Nathu-la
Army rescues 1300 stuck in Nathu-la
Rescued tourists wait for government vehicles to take them back to Gangtok.
Gangtok, Dec. 27:2008
Over a thousand tourists, stuck overnight near the India-China border at Nathu-la, returned to Gangtok today, assisted by the army.
The 1,343 people had left Gangtok for a tour of Nathu-la, Tsongo lake and Baba Mandir — located 12,500-14,000ft above sea level — last morning. Tourist vehicles generally leave the Sikkim capital by 9am and reach Nathu-la, 50km away, around 11.30am. At 3pm, Nathu-la closes for tourists.
Yesterday, 68 cars of the 277 that had gone towards Nathu-la in east Sikkim returned to Gangtok but the rest got stranded as the snowfall became heavy after noon.
“Everything was okay till afternoon. Then, suddenly, it began snowing heavily. Our vehicles got stuck and we could not move,” said Gobinda Bose, a tourist from Calcutta.
As the cars waited for help, armymen posted in the border area noticed them. “We were waiting in sub-zero temperatures when army personnel came to our rescue,” Bose said.
Jawans of the third battalion of the Bihar regiment, stationed at Nathu-la, took the tourists to four army bases at Thegu, Tsongo and the 17th Mile, sources said.
Tourists feeling unwell — less oxygen and extreme cold in mountain areas causes altitude sickness — were taken to a nearby army hospital. Others were given blankets, heaters and food. Temperature in the area drops to -15 degree Celsius after sundown in winter.
“We mobilised our vehicles and took them to our locations,” said an army officer stationed at the 17th Mile transit camp, near Tsongo.
“If the armymen had not been there, God knows what would have happened to us. They gave us a new life,” said Madan Lal Meena, who had come from Rajasthan.
This morning, around 50 army vehicles took the tourists to the Fifth Mile post, where administrative officials and members of the Travel Agents Association of Sikkim were waiting with vehicles to take them back to Gangtok.
Rescued tourists wait for government vehicles to take them back to Gangtok.
Gangtok, Dec. 27:2008
Over a thousand tourists, stuck overnight near the India-China border at Nathu-la, returned to Gangtok today, assisted by the army.
The 1,343 people had left Gangtok for a tour of Nathu-la, Tsongo lake and Baba Mandir — located 12,500-14,000ft above sea level — last morning. Tourist vehicles generally leave the Sikkim capital by 9am and reach Nathu-la, 50km away, around 11.30am. At 3pm, Nathu-la closes for tourists.
Yesterday, 68 cars of the 277 that had gone towards Nathu-la in east Sikkim returned to Gangtok but the rest got stranded as the snowfall became heavy after noon.
“Everything was okay till afternoon. Then, suddenly, it began snowing heavily. Our vehicles got stuck and we could not move,” said Gobinda Bose, a tourist from Calcutta.
As the cars waited for help, armymen posted in the border area noticed them. “We were waiting in sub-zero temperatures when army personnel came to our rescue,” Bose said.
Jawans of the third battalion of the Bihar regiment, stationed at Nathu-la, took the tourists to four army bases at Thegu, Tsongo and the 17th Mile, sources said.
Tourists feeling unwell — less oxygen and extreme cold in mountain areas causes altitude sickness — were taken to a nearby army hospital. Others were given blankets, heaters and food. Temperature in the area drops to -15 degree Celsius after sundown in winter.
“We mobilised our vehicles and took them to our locations,” said an army officer stationed at the 17th Mile transit camp, near Tsongo.
“If the armymen had not been there, God knows what would have happened to us. They gave us a new life,” said Madan Lal Meena, who had come from Rajasthan.
This morning, around 50 army vehicles took the tourists to the Fifth Mile post, where administrative officials and members of the Travel Agents Association of Sikkim were waiting with vehicles to take them back to Gangtok.
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