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हिन्दी 
North Sikkim is all set to reopen for tourists from December 1 after remining closed for over a year, officials said.
North Sikkim remained out of bound for tourists from October 2023 when a flash flood, triggered by a glacial lake outburst, hit the tiny Himalayan state, killing over 100 people and damaging roads and several bridges.
“Tourists will now be able to visit the high-altitude attractions in North Sikkim such as Gurudongmar Lake and Yumthang Valley once again,” a tourism official said.
Tshering Thendup Bhutia, Sikkim’s tourism minister, reopened the Toong-Naga Road on Friday. The road is the lifeline for both locals and tourists in north Sikkim and was damaged by the flood in the River Teesta. He also announced that passes for tourists visiting North Sikkim would be issued from December 1.
“This road is a lifeline for North Sikkim. The restored road will reconnect important destinations such as Chungthang, Lachen, and Lachung in North Sikkim which is important for the region’s economy and tourism,” Bhutia said.
On October 4, 2023, North Sikkim was hit by a flashflood triggered by an outburst in the South Lhonak Lake, a high-altitude glacial lake located at an altitude of 5245m, affecting four districts. When the flood water and the debris hit the 1,200 MW Teesta Urja dam at Chungthang, the hydel dam exploded.
Around 100 towns and villages, including Chungthang and Lachen, were partially or severely hit. Over 88,000 people were affected. At least 33 bridges and several kilometers of roads in Mangan district were damaged.
On Friday, Bhutia and Samdup Lepcha, local legislator, flagged off some tourist vehicles for a trial run on the Toong-Naga Road at Naga Maidan in North Sikkim. As North Sikkim shares a 220-km-long border with China, tourists visiting the high-altitude destinations require permits from the government.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) is the border guarding force at the Indo-China Border.
