India's Sikkim & Darjeeling call for easy flow from Bangladesh to boost tourism

[Riyad]

Call for easy flow from Bangladesh
Focus on boost of tourism in Sikkim and Darjeeling hills
AVIJIT SINHA & RAJEEV RAVIDAS Aug 09, 2018 00:00 IST

The integrated check-post at Fulbari, the entry point on the India-Bangladesh border near Siliguri. (Passang Yolmo)

Siliguri/Gangtok: Tourism stakeholders have demanded that the Centre do away with special permits needed for Bangladeshi nationals to visit Sikkim.

"The post-monsoon tourism season, which coincides with Durga Puja and Diwali, will commence in 45 days. We are expecting a huge inflow of tourists from other parts of Bengal and abroad, including Bangladesh. Hence, it is necessary that the central government relax norms for Bangladeshi nationals to visit Sikkim," said Samrat Sanyal, a veteran in travel trade in Siliguri.

Citizens of Bangladesh and some other countries need to obtain permits from the Union home ministry in Delhi to enter Sikkim.

According to Sanyal, out of the total number of foreign tourists who visit north Bengal, around 40 per cent are from Bangladesh.

"Unlike the citizens of other countries who can take a Restricted Area Permit issued from different offices in Siliguri, Rangpo (the bordering town of Sikkim and Bengal) and other places, Bangladeshis does not have the facility. That is why we cannot offer an integrated circuit of Darjeeling, Sikkim and Dooars to the Bangladeshi nationals. If they are allowed to enter with a permit issued from various offices like residents of other countries, the inflow of Bangladeshi tourists will go up," added Sanyal.

A senior official of the Sikkim government said the onus was on the Centre.

"Nationals of Bangladesh, China, Pakistan and Taiwan have to apply through the Union home ministry to visit Sikkim. Sikkim has no say on the matter because this is in the domain of the government of India and the countries concerned," said C. P. Dhakal, the secretary of the Sikkim tourism department.

Dhakal also said he couldn't off hand say how many tourists from Bangladesh visitted Sikkim annually, with permission issued by the Union home ministry.

Barap Namgyal Bhutia, the vice-president of Tourism Agents' Association of Sikkim (TASS), said the body had for long been demanding easy entry into Sikkim for tourists from Bangladesh.

https://www.telegraphindia.com/states/west-bengal/call-for-easy-flow-from-bangladesh-251035

 

[Homo Sapiens]

It is amusing that, the Indian states which has really much better living standard and employment opportunities do not usually complain about 'illegal Bangladeshi' such as Sikkim, Goa etc. Or Bhutan.I have never seen Bhutan complaining about ''illegal Bangladeshi'' although Bhutan is very near to Bangladesh and richer country than both India and Bangladesh.Rather they want Bangladeshi tourists.Same is true with nearby Thailand, Sri Lanka.They never complained about ''illegal Bangladeshi''. But shithole places like assam or some of other remote and pisspoor north east indian states has developed their entire national identity based on driving out so called ''illegal Bangladeshi''. As if assam and those remote states have better living standard and employment opportunity than Bhutan,Thailand, Sri Lanka or Indian states like Sikkim,Goa to attract Bangladeshi nationals.

 

[The_magnificent]

Tourists are welcome. Bangladeshi people if coming with proper paper and permission are our guest.

 

[Sam.]

Tourists are welcome. Bangladeshi people if coming with proper paper and permission are our guest.

Exactly , people here seems to think we have ill towards Bangladeshi people while we have none. Only issue is refugees and not the Bangladeshi people who visit India.

 

[Theparadox]

And for that rail/road infrastructure should be interconnected & thats what GoI is doing. Soon there will be no such thing like Chicken's neck same fate to what happened to string of pearls.