Bridge up within 3 months: Link to Sikkim's Dzongu good for tourism, strategic reasons
Telegraph | 17 January 2024
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which functions under the defence ministry, has set a record of sorts by putting up a bridge over the Teesta river in Sikkim’s Mangan in less than three months.
The 400-foot-long Bailey bridge connects two parts of Sanklang and links the Dzongu region, which sources said was good news for both defence and tourism.
After the flash flood in the Teesta on October 4 last year, connectivity between parts of north Sikkim in Mangan district of the Himalayan state and the Indian mainland snapped as over a dozen bridges on the river were swept away in the district.
“So, the other part of the state, along the China border, got completely cut off.... This region has always been important for strategic reasons. Also, some daring tourists love to travel from Lachen to the Gurudongmar Lake at a height of 17,100 feet. Thousands of tourists also visit Dzongu, Lachung, Yumthang and Yumesamdong, which are close to the China border. Tourism in this region also got badly hit after the bridges were swept away,” said Raj Basu, a veteran in the tourism industry in east and northeast India.
After the disaster, the BRO and the army took up the task of installing Bailey bridges at Sanklang, Chungthang and Zema within two months.
“These bridges were necessary to re-establish the logistic supply chain for armed forces and residents of Chungthang, Lachung and Lachen and the upper reaches of north Sikkim near the China border,” said a source.
Apart from the bridges, the BRO, along with the state government and other agencies, also took up the task of restoring roads. Nearly 25km of roads were washed away by the Teesta in the district in the wake of the October flood.
After the disaster, the state announced that tourist destinations in north Sikkim would stay closed.
“This badly impacted tourism as Lachen, Gurudongmar Lake, Lachung and Dzongu are some of the finest tourist spots in Sikkim. Many tourists in early October cancelled their trips planned for during Durga Puja and Diwali,” said Samrat Sanyal, general secretary of Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network.
Lachen was cut off from the rest of the state till November 30 as a bridge was washed away. Choppers provided people their basic supplies. “Army engineers installed a Bailey bridge, but the area is still closed to tourists for restoration work,” said an official of the tourism and civil aviation department of Sikkim.
On December 1, the state announced that tourists could visit Lachung through a detour.
“The bridge which was opened on Monday connects Dzongu. To visit Lachung, one has to take the Dzongu–Shipgyer route now. The bridge will help tourists,” the official added.
North Sikkim is a tourist challenge as the roads are not good. There are several narrow stretches and bends. During monsoons, frequent landslides disrupt traffic.
Sources said after the disaster, Bailey bridges were laid at Sangklang, Chungthang and Zema. However, as bridges at Sanklang and Zema were set up close to the riverbed, they will be dismantled before monsoon.
“Thus, the BRO decided on the 400-foot-long suspension bridge, which rains won’t affect. It was built within three months, which is a record,” said a source.
He added: “Armed forces can use the bridge too, to reach Lachen via Chungthang.”
Owing to its proximity with China, Sikkim has been a strategic area of importance for India, pointed out defence experts.
In 1967, troops of both countries clashed at Sikkim’s Nathu-la. In 2017, there was a military standoff at Doklam, an area at the tri-junction of India, China and Bhutan, close to Sikkim.
“From the strategic point of view, it is vital to restore road links in north Sikkim. The new bridge will ensure connectivity the year for various areas of Sikkim, including border ones,” said an ex-serviceman.