SIKKIM: Comprehensive and participative


Gangtok: A fourteen member State level committee headed by State forest minister Bhim Dhungel, who also holds the tourism portfolio, has been set up by the State government to formulate an ecotourism policy for Sikkim through public consultation in different districts and inputs from the stakeholders.

The proposed policy is aimed to provide a clear definition of ecotourism based on internationally accepted norms which all stakeholders in Sikkim would abide by. The committee has been directed that proposed policy should also be all inclusive indicating the planning and implementation procedures and it should be formulated with full involvement of all stakeholders, so that ownership of the policy is ensured and the vision of making Sikkim as the ‘Ultimate Ecotourism Destination’ is fully achieved in the years to come.

Forest secretary ST Lachungpa is the member secretary of this committee which also includes departmental heads of urban development, rural development, tourism and human resource development.

The International Ecotourism Society (TIES) representative Kelly Bricker, who is an associate professor in Utah University, is also a member in the State level committee along with The Mountain Institute-India programme manager Dr Ghanashyam Sharma, ECOSS member RP Gurung, TAAS president, SAATO president, SHRA president and Additional PCCF of the State forest department who is Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) project in-charge in Sikkim.
The committee has been tasked to formulate the State ecotourism policy as per the missions underlined in the Rs.330.5 crores ‘Sikkim Biodiversity Conservation and Forest Management Project’ being implemented in Sikkim by the forest department with financial assistance from JICA.

One of the major components of the project is promotion of ecotourism activities in Sikkim. The State government is ardently developing the ecotourism sector within the well defined conservation parameters and an adequate framework is required to be created within which ecotourism can be established with a clear direction to grow.

The formulation of the ecotourism policy for Sikkim was one of the prerequisite conditions for the implementation of the JICA assisted project through public consultation in different districts and with inputs from the consultative committee comprising of experts. District level committees have also been constituted by the State government to assist the State level committee for formulating the ecotourism policy and achieving the desired objectives.

The 8-member district level committee is headed by the concerned chief conservator of forests (territorial) with the concerned DC as a member and JICA project joint director as the member secretary. NGOs and office bearers of tourism related associations will also be invited for the meetings organized at the district levels.

A State level meeting will be initially organized at Gangtok for constituting an Ecotourism Consultative Committee as per the recommendations which will work to formulate the policy. Subsequent meetings will be organized at each district to validate the policy in consultation with all the stakeholders. The final meeting will be held in Gangtok to review and adopt the policy document for the State before the final document is approved by the State government for implementation in Sikkim.

[FROM SIKKIM REPORTER / EDITED BY ASHOK CHATTERJEE]