Tourists snowed in at 17 Mile

GANGTOK, 08 Jan: Quick response by Sikkim Police and fluid coordination on site ensured that the around 270 tourists stranded on the wrong side of 17 Mile [while returning from Tsomgo and Nathula] were not inconvenienced beyond what was unavoidable last night. The East district Administration headed by SP East, DB Giri, helped by the Border Roads Organisation and Army units stationed along the JN Marg [to Nathula], rescued all the stranded tourists and found them accommodation at facilities available in the area. The tourists were stranded at 17 Mile last evening when heavy snowfall made the road back to Gangtok unmotorable. The tourists were returning from sightseeing tours to Baba Mandir and Tsomgo, informs Sabitra Pradhan, Police Inspector posted in the 17th Checkpost.

Issuance of travel permits to Lachen and Lachung to resume today

GANGTOK, 03 Jan: A team of Lachung Drivers Association led by Travel Agents Association of Sikkim [TAAS] president, Lukendra Rasaily, called on the Tourism Secretary and IGP Check Posts to request that permits for tourists wishing to travel to Lachung, suspended after the area received heavy snowfall recently, be resumed.

New Year white-out makes Tsomgo out of bounds

GANGTOK, 02 Jan: All traffic to Tsomgo and beyond has been suspended for two days [starting today] with the upper reaches of East Sikkim covered in a fresh blanket of rather heavy snow. It began snowing in the area from 10th Mile on JN Road [to Nathula] and above with New Year’s day and continued through today. There had been intermittent snowfall in December as well, but this is the first continuing fall of the season, locals inform.