Sikkim could become 'mini-Switzerland' if developed: SDP

Sikkim, which is often described as the 'Switzerland of the East' but far surpasses it in diversity and beauty, has been stymied due to lack of infrastructure and tourist facilities, lone Sikkim Democratic Front member O T Lepcha lamented today in the Rajya Sabha.


The lack of development and slow progress in the state were also hampering its emotional integration with the rest of the country even 35 years after its accession to India, he said moving A Private Member's Resolution on preparing an action plan for development of the state.

Recounting the rich array of natural beauty the state offered to the tourist, Mr Lepcha said Sikkim had 28 mountains, 227 wetlands and lakes, rich flora and fauna, including the rarest of orchids, besides Mt Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world.

But other than national highway 35, the lifeline of the state, there was little connectivity and the landlocked state was cut off from the rest of the country when the highway got blocked, Mr Lepcha said regretting that persistent demands for better road facilities had fallen on deaf ears.

He demanded that the Centre pay heed to the demand for more funds and revenue, so that the mountainous state could be developed as a "mini Switzerland".


--UNI