NEW DELHI, July 25: Eight years after witnessing a stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops, Sikkim’s Doklam is set to open for tourists.
Located 68 km east of the State capital, Gangtok, and at an altitude of 13,780 feet, Doklam is a plateau in the Chumbi Valley at the tri-junction of Bhutan, China, and India. It became a flashpoint in June 2017 when China attempted to build a road in territory claimed by Bhutan.
India intervened to safeguard its strategic interests and to support Bhutan, an ally. China halted construction activities at Doklam, also known as Donglang, after more than two months of a controlled stand-off.
“We are preparing to open Doklam for visitors in September, when the tourist season starts in Sikkim. It is one of the three sites the Defence Ministry identified in Sikkim for battlefield tourism in India,” C. Subhakar Rao, the State’s Additional Chief Secretary handling Tourism said.
The other two sites are Nathu La and Cho La, where a series of clashes between Indian and Chinese troops took place from September to October 1967. Sikkim, then an Indian protectorate, became the country’s 22nd State in May 1975 following a referendum.
“Nothing much needs to be done at Nathu La, which is already a tourist spot about 58 km from Gangtok. At the other two Bharat Rannbhoomi Darshan sites (Cho La and Doklam), we are constructing cafeterias, restrooms, wayside amenities, and parking spaces jointly with the Army,” Mr Rao said.
While Nathu La is located at an altitude of 14,140 feet, Cho La sits at 17,780 feet above sea level. The pass is accessible via all-wheel-drive vehicles from Tamzey, where the Army operates a medical facility for tourists experiencing altitude-related issues. The road to Tamzey branches off about a kilometre above Changu or Tsomgo Lake, located over 16 km before Nathu La, on the Old Silk Route.
Army officials said work on the battlefield tourism sites has continued despite harsh terrain and conditions. “A fourth site in Sikkim, Gurudongmar Lake, is also on the battlefield tourism circuit as a Shaurya Gantavya (destination of valour),” an officer of Colonel rank stationed at a forward location said.
Located about 190 km from Gangtok and at an altitude of approximately 17,800 feet, Gurudongmar is among the highest lakes in the world. Situated in the Mangan district, the lake is named after Guru Padmasambhava and is regarded as sacred by both Buddhists and Sikhs.
Arunachal Pradesh is the only other north-eastern State with Shaurya Gantavya sites, including Tawang and Walong, where Indian and Chinese forces clashed during the 1962 war.
(Manas Dasgupta)
