Sikkim eyes Chewabhanjyang as second border trade route alongside Nathu La

BIJOY GURUNG

GANGTOK,: Sikkim is actively pressing for opening the Indo-Nepal border Chewabhanjyang in West Sikkim as a second border trade route, complementing the Nathu La border trade with China in East Sikkim, which is set to resume in June.

The State government aims to establish similar bilateral trade with Nepal through Chewabhanjyang multimodal corridor, enhancing regional connectivity and economic activity. If approved by the Union government, Sikkim would become one of the few Indian States to have two international land border trade routes – Nathu La and Chewabhanjyang.

“We have built the Uttarey-Chewabhanjyang road and further expanded it. We have been requesting the Centre to open Chewabhanjyang officially for border trade, and works are going on this regard. Central officials have already visited the area,” said Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang Golay. He was addressing the one-day Sikkim Legislative Assembly session on March 26.

Chewabhanjyang is the border between India and Nepal in West Sikkim with Uttarey, one the nearest towns in Sikkim side. The Sikkim government has already established an 18-km road link to Chewabhanjyang from Uttarey. In the Nepal side, a road already exists from the border connecting to the nearest town Chyangthapu under Tapleyjung district. Tapleyjhung is about three hours’ drive from Chewabhanjyang border.

Meanwhile, the Uttarey-Chewabhanjyang road is to be carpeted during the State-wide road carpeting mission in 2026-27.

Addressing the Assembly, the Chief Minister shared that opening Chewabhanjyang route as a multimodal corridor will increase cross-border trade activities between the two nations, referring to the Indo-Nepal Treaty of 1950, which allows free movement of people between the two countries. He said this framework strengthens the case for developing trade routes such as Chewabhanjyang, which could enhance both passenger and goods movement.

The Chief Minister added that Nepal’s capital Kathmandu could be reached in approximately seven hours via the Chewabhanjyang route, underlining its potential to transform regional connectivity.

The Sikkim government has been pressing for a multimodal corridor with a modern integrated check post between the State of Sikkim and Eastern Nepal through Chewabhanjyang which has emerged as a crucial point of cultural, economic, social, tourism and ecological exchanges. It has been a traditional bilateral contact point between West Sikkim in India and Eastern Nepal.

Opening Chewabhanjyang as a border trade route would provide a major socio-economic boost for Sikkim, which is also looking forward to resumption of Nathu La border trade between India and China.

Golay informed the House that the border trade between India and China through Nathu La in East Sikkim would be officially resuming from June. The border trade had remained closed for six years following Covid-19 pandemic.

During the discussions in the Assembly, Soreng-Chakung MLA Aditya Golay, while highlighting cross-border connectivity, also referred to Chewabhanjyang, which falls under Soreng constituency and is being developed as a multi-modal trade corridor linking Sikkim with Nepal. He said that trade through the corridor is “definitely in the loop” and is expected to gain momentum alongside infrastructure development.

Discussions on development of border areas of Sikkim also took place in the Assembly session.

In his address to the House, Governor Om Prakash Mathur highlighted that special emphasis is being placed on the development of border villages of Sikkim under the Vibrant Village Programme, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme aimed at ensuring that remote border communities are well-connected, self-reliant, and economically vibrant, while also addressing the challenge of outmigration.

Forty six villages across Mangan and Gangtok districts have been identified in the first phase of this initiative launched in 2023. The recently launched second phase of the Vibrant Village programme further expands its scope to cover border areas adjoining Nepal and Bhutan. Under this phase, 12 villages across Pakyong, Soreng, and Gyalshing districts have been identified.

MLA Aditya Golay raised the issue of extending the second phase of the Vibrant Villages initiative to border areas of Soreng district, underscoring the strategic and developmental importance of the region.

Speaking in the Assembly, Aditya stated he has urged the State government to include constituencies such as Soreng, Daramdin and Rinchenpong under the programme, noting that several villages in these areas lie along the India-Nepal border.

He pointed out that earlier, the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) served as the primary funding mechanism for such regions, with Soreng district receiving allocations particularly after 2021. With Phase II of the Vibrant Village programme now being rolled out, Aditya expressed optimism that more focused and public-centric development interventions would follow.

However, he clarified that the exact list of villages to be covered is yet to be confirmed. “I will have to sit with the concerned department to ascertain which villages are included, but I am hopeful that my constituency and adjoining border areas will be considered,” he said.