Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Gangtok: Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang met West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari in Kolkata to hash out cross-border improvements. The two leaders focused on fixing broken transport links and boosting medical support for patients traveling between the states. They want results. They moved fast.
A major win for patients involves the new Suswastha Bhawan Sikkim. This facility will sit in the SNT Complex in Siliguri to house Sikkim residents seeking medical care. West Bengal officials confirmed they will fast-track the permits to get the building open.
Taxi drivers also caught a break. West Bengal agreed to double the countersignature permit quota for Sikkim taxis, jumping from 3,000 to 6,000 spots. This change aims to speed up travel on the busy route to Siliguri.
The leaders also faced the fallout from the 2023 South Lhonak Lake flood. Sediment clogging the Teesta River continues to wreck National Highway 10, the main artery connecting Sikkim to the country. The states will now pursue scientific dredging to save the road. Regarding the partnership, the official statement noted, "Both governments agreed to jointly pursue scientific sediment management through dredging of the Teesta River to restore and protect the crucial transport corridor."
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