The cloudburst in the Himalayan state of Sikkim and its neighbouring north Bengal has spelt doom for the tourism industry once again at a time when it was trying to recover from the setback of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tuesday night’s natural disaster has also left hundreds of tourists stranded in Sikkim. As road connectivity has virtually snapped, with only a few narrow detours open, tourists in Sikkim are frantically trying to return home.
“Tourists are taking a detour via an alternative route from Gangtok through Pakyong-Pedong-Algarah-Gorubathan-Gajoldoba to Siliguri. It is taking around 10 hours. Usually, it is a four-hour journey,” said Raj Basu, the adviser to the Sikkim tourism department.
Basu, based in Siliguri, said that during the Covid-19 pandemic, the tourism industry had badly suffered in north Bengal and Sikkim.
“It slowly started reviving since last year. This time, during the festive holidays, we were expecting substantial footfall. But after this calamity, all associated with the industry are apprehensive about the turnout of tourists, especially in Sikkim and Kalimpong,” Basu said.
The Teesta, which draws thousands of nature lovers to this region, washed away several stretches of NH10, the highway that connects Sikkim and Kalimpong with the rest of the country.
Sources in Kalimpong district administration said the highway has been damaged at several points such as Likhu Bheer, Melli and Ravi Jhora.
“Unless the water recedes, it is tough to start repairs. It will definitely take some time to resume traffic on the highway,” said an official of state PWD (NH-X division).
The disaster also prompted the Travel Agents’ Association of Sikkim (TAAS) to issue an advisory for tourism stakeholders.
Sonam Norgay Lachungpa, the president of TAAS, stated that those associated with the sector should monitor the situation and stay informed about the weather forecast and road conditions to ensure tourist safety.
“A collective effort can make a significant difference in ensuring the safety and well-being of tourists during the disaster. Providing necessary support and care to visitors also can minimise the impact,” he said.
The Sikkim Nationalised Transport has suspended its bus services from Siliguri.
“We have stopped 29 regular bus services from Siliguri to Gangtok and other different parts of Sikkim. The buses will not run unless we get fresh advisory from the administration,” said Bhupendra Chhetri, the joint general manager of SNT posted in Siliguri.
Samrat Sanyal, the general secretary of Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network, an apex body of tourism stakeholders in the region, said many people made their hotel reservations in Sikkim, while in Kalimpong district of neighbouring Bengal, bookings were brisk for homestays. But after the news of the cloudburst spread, potential tourists were calling the hospitality industry about road conditions, he added. “All those associated with the tourism industry are perturbed as everyone had just started recovering from their pandemic losses,” said Sanyal.
3 youths missing
Three youths, who were on a bike trip to Sikkim, went missing after Tuesday’s cloudburst. Swarnadip Majumdar and his cousin Srikanta are from North Dinajpur, and the third, their friend Ishan, is from Ranchi, Jharkhand. On Wednesday, their families — who only knew that the youths were staying in a hotel in Lachen but could not be contacted since Tuesday night, filed a missing diary at Raiganj police station.
A member of the Majumdar family said the trio on September 30 left Raiganj on bikes to visit Gurudongmar Lake in Sikkim’s Mangan district.
Additional reporting by Kousik Sen in Raiganj
