Cloudburst in Himalayan State of Sikkim and North Bengal Spells Devastation for Tourism Industry

At a time when the tourism sector was working to recover from the setback of the Covid-19 pandemic, the cloudburst in the Himalayan state of Sikkim and its neighboring north Bengal has once again spelled devastation for the business.

The natural disaster that struck Sikkim on Tuesday night also left hundreds of tourists stranded. Tourists in Sikkim are desperately attempting to go home as road connectivity has almost completely broken down, leaving only a few short routes open.

Tourists are detouring via a different route from Gangtok to Siliguri via Pakyong-Pedong-Algarah-Gorubathan-Gajoldoba. It takes roughly 10 hours. According to Raj Basu, the advisor to the Sikkim tourism department, the trip takes four hours on average.

Basu, who is located in Siliguri, claimed that the Covid-19 outbreak had severely hurt the travel and tourist sectors in Sikkim and north Bengal.

It has gradually begun to revive since last year. This time, during the joyous holidays, we anticipated a significant increase in traffic. But with this disaster, everyone involved in the industry is concerned about the number of tourists, particularly in Sikkim and Kalimpong, Basu said.

Several sections of NH10, the road that connects Sikkim and Kalimpong with the rest of the country, were swept away by the Teesta, which brings millions of nature enthusiasts to this area.

The roadway has reportedly been damaged at multiple locations, including Likhu Bheer, Melli, and Ravi Jhora, according to sources in the Kalimpong district administration.

"It is challenging to begin repairs unless the water recedes. Resuming traffic on the highway would undoubtedly take some time, according to a state PWD (NH-X division) official.

The Travel Agents' Association of Sikkim (TAAS) also released a warning for tourist industry participants in response to the incident.

The president of TAAS, Sonam Norgay Lachungpa, advised individuals involved in the industry to keep an eye on the situation and be aware of the weather and road conditions to ensure tourist safety.

"A joint effort can significantly impact how effectively tourists are taken care of throughout the tragedy. Providing visitors with the support and attention they need might help lessen the impact, he added.

Bus service from Siliguri by the Sikkim Nationalized Transport has been discontinued.

29 regular bus routes from Siliguri to Gangtok and other locations in Sikkim have been terminated. Bhupendra Chhetri, the joint general manager of SNT stationed in Siliguri, stated that the buses would not operate unless we received a new advise from the administration.

Samrat Sanyal, the general secretary of the Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network, the leading organization for the region's tourism stakeholders, stated that while many travelers booked hotels in Sikkim, homestay reservations in the neighboring Bengali district of Kalimpong were in high demand. However, he continued, potential visitors began ringing the hotel sector regarding road conditions as word of the cloudburst spread. As everyone had just begun to recoup from their pandemic losses, "all those connected to the tourism industry are perturbed," said Sanyal.

Missing: 3 youth

After Tuesday's cloudburst, three youngsters who were biking to Sikkim vanished. Swarnadip Majumdar, his cousin Srikanta, and their buddy Ishan are all from North Dinajpur, but Ishan is from Ranchi in Jharkhand. Their relatives, who only knew the youths were staying in a hotel in Lachen but had been unable to reach them since Tuesday night, reported the youths missing on Wednesday at the Raiganj police station.

The trio left Raiganj on bikes on September 30 to visit Gurudongmar Lake in Sikkim's Mangan district, according to a member of the Majumdar family.

Additional content from Raiganj's Kousik Sen