Gangtok: Proper environmental safeguards
must be taken before any new project is started in the
mountains and river valleys of Sikkim, Governor B P Singh said
here today.
"This was particularly relevant in the case of roads and
hydel projects as the mountains of Sikkim are geologically
fragile and that the state government and locals alike should
be extra vigilant in such cases because developments must go
on but their negative impacts must be minimized to the extent
possible," Singh said.
Sikkim’s resource is all nature based and sensitive to
environmental changes and this reality the state government
should be compelled to work and progress within this
limitation, Singh stated.
On tourism he said "since our tourism resources are all
nature based and exposed to environmental and ecological
impacts, we should try maintain a balance between quality and
quantity tourism after assessing our carrying capacity."
He further said that our ultimate goal should be to
encourage local private initiatives to manage tourism affairs
and the government’s role should be limited to being a
facilitator and a regulator.
PTI
