GANGTOK, Sept 27: Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang
on Wednesday laid the foundation stones of two infrastructure
projects in Lachung and Lachen towns.
He laid the foundation stone of the Maitreya Buddha-cum-
cultural complex in Lachen and Guru Rinpoche statue and
cultural complex in Lachung, both in North Sikkim.
“The projects will boost tourism in both the places and attract
more global visitors in future,” the chief minister said.
Tamang hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to
transform remote border villages into vibrant villages and said
both the towns will benefit significantly from this initiative of
the central government.
“The upcoming projects, coupled with the Vibrant Village
Programme under the government of India, will contribute
significantly to long-term development of these border
regions,” he said.
The CM said tourism infrastructure projects represent the state
government’s commitment to preserving the state’s culture
and traditions, in addition to generating employment
opportunities for local youth and aspiring tourism stakeholders.
He appealed to the local people to extend their co-operation
and boost tourism in Lachen and Lachung.
To preserve the age-old tradition of yak herding, which faces
the threat of extinction due to herders migrating to urban
areas, the chief minister announced the annual Yak Festival to
be held in either Lachen or Lachung to keep the traditional
occupation alive and pass it on to future generations. (PTI)
