Gangtok: Residents of strategically important border village Lachen, cut off for nearly 16 months due to recurring road disruptions after the 2023 South Lhonak GLOF, gathered in Gangtok on Monday demanding urgent restoration of connectivity and accountability, expressing disappointment after Chief Minister Prem Singh Golay did not meet the public during the protest.
Villagers from Lachen alleged severe hardship, economic losses and administrative inaction as the area remains affected by repeated road disruptions since the October 2023 Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF).
Residents who travelled to the state capital through difficult terrain said they had risked their lives to place their grievances before the government, describing worsening conditions after the South Lhonak disaster and renewed disruption following fresh road damage earlier this year.
Sangay Lachenpa said Lachen had remained effectively cut off since 2023, with road conditions deteriorating to the point where even accessing basic supplies had become a dangerous exercise.
“We have risked our lives just to demand better connectivity for our village,” he said, adding that livelihoods had been severely affected as economic activity in the tourism-dependent village had nearly come to a standstill.
He said the prolonged disconnection had triggered outmigration from the strategically important border village, warning that the trend could have wider implications beyond the local economy.
“Government policy has always been to keep border areas populated, but because of poor connectivity, especially the younger generation is now moving out,” he said.
Claiming that losses to the tourism sector were mounting, Sangay said Lachen’s more than 120 hotels alone were suffering estimated losses of over ₹30 lakh per day, excluding the impact on shops, taxis and other businesses.
Another resident, Dathup Lachenpa, described the journey from Lachen to Gangtok as an ordeal, saying villagers had to build makeshift bridges and walk across washed-out stretches in bad weather to reach the capital.
“Life has never been smooth for us after the October 3, 2023 GLOF,” he said.
He alleged that despite the road being cut off since April 5 this year due to a damaged stretch of about 20 metres, repair work on the site had moved too slowly.
“We are not satisfied with the pace of work. We do not see any urgency from the working agency,” he said, urging the state government to put pressure on the executing agency and ensure regular monitoring by district authorities.
Dathup said the crisis was affecting every aspect of daily life, with residents forced to walk nearly 20 kilometres downhill to collect LPG cylinders and carry them back home during the monsoon.
He said tourism stakeholders, who depend entirely on visitors to Lachen, had been pushed into financial distress after nearly 16 months of disruption.
“People have loans, families to feed. Many of us returned to our villages because we saw opportunities there, but now that has also become difficult,” he said.
Calling for greater investment in the border village, he said Lachen’s strategic location near the China border meant the area should receive more attention under the Vibrant Village Programme.
Responding to the public grievances, Lachen-Mangan constituency MLA Samdup Lepcha said around 75 per cent of Lachen’s population had come to Gangtok to raise concerns over the Taram Chu road, which he said had remained badly disrupted for more than 50 days.
Lepcha, who is a two-time minister in Chief Minister Prem Singh Golay’s cabinet said the government was closely monitoring the situation and acknowledged that residents had effectively faced repeated disconnection since the 2023 disaster.
He said while an alternative bypass route existed, residents of Lachen and Lachung had to travel a detour of around 241 kilometres to reach Gangtok, involving higher costs and difficult driving conditions across high-altitude terrain.
Calling the issue “serious,” Lepcha said a bridge inaugurated on February 26 had restored traffic for around 30 to 35 days before the road was cut off again after May 5.
“Lachen and Lachung are major tourist destinations. Once Lachen gets cut off, Sikkim’s tourism is also affected,” he said, adding that hotels, drivers, shopkeepers and other stakeholders across the state were feeling the economic impact.
Lepcha said he had remained in touch with officials from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and its executing wing GREF, and that alternative solutions were being examined, including a three-kilometre temporary road along the riverbed and an upper route, though the latter could take one to one-and-a-half years.
For a long-term solution, he said a tunnel proposal had also been examined and a DPR prepared after consultations with Kundan company.
He said villagers were now seeking a meeting with the Chief Minister to understand the roadmap for restoring connectivity.
“The public’s frustration is understandable,” he said, adding that the Chief Minister would meet residents in the coming days after returning from a personal bereavement.
Lepcha also urged opposition parties not to politicise the issue, saying the matter was about road restoration and not political mobilisation.
He said BRO officials had assured the government that the road would be made motorable by July 16, and appealed to the public to cooperate and use the bypass route in the meantime.
At the same time, he requested the agency to deploy stronger hydraulic machinery to speed up work in the difficult terrain.
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Addressing supply concerns, Lepcha said the state government had already stocked ration and essential commodities for affected areas including Lachen, Lachung and Dzongu, while acknowledging that monsoon conditions remained a major challenge.
He also raised concerns over reduced sanctions under the Vibrant Village Programme, saying border villages needed greater support.
“If India is to become a truly developed nation, then the last village on the border must also come first,” he said.
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