By Kumkum Chadha
It is rare for an ally to tell his principal partner to sit up and take stock of what is going wrong and that too do this publicly. But that is exactly what the lone Lok Sabha MP from Sikkim, Indra Hang Subba, did recently. He told the BJP that the students’ protest in the capital spearheaded by the Cockroach Janta Party is a “wake-up call” for the government. He also called for a systematic change that would enable the students to “prepare without fear”. Time, he felt is running out and steps need to be taken sooner than later. “If students suffer, the biggest loser will be the country. The students are trying to tell us something and we must listen to their voice and understand their pulse,” Subba said in an interview to a national daily recently reiterating that “youth comes first”.
Subba belongs to the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha, or SKM, as it is popular as, but what he said and that too during his fiery speech in parliament was certainly not music to BJP’s ears which likes to hear its set tunes. But the big picture is about the issues confronting Sikkim and the unkept promises, and more importantly, whether the electorate has been shortchanged.
For the people of Sikkim, connectivity remains an important issue—the angst being that many areas remain cut-off owing to floods. “Connectivity got disrupted” even as Subba agreed that restoring has taken longer than it should have. “It happened in 2023. After I was re-elected, from day one we have been working on this. The road that was washed out, another alternate route was also chartered out, but things got from bad to worse and even there the landslide took its toll and disrupted it,” Subba said assuring that a permanent solution is being worked out. “We are working on constructing small tunnels wherever possible as also extending the highway. Both the centre and the state government are working on this,” he added.
Rejecting the suggestion that “nothing has been done”, Subba stood his ground. “Lots have been done; an alternate route was created, but the landslide that was triggered because of Teesta river took a toll on the alternate route also. The bridge that was constructed was also washed away disturbing the entire geography. It is not that work was not done. Work is being done, but we have not succeeded in stabilizing it. Therefore, what is needed is a permanent solution. Piecemeal measures are not the answer; neither piecemeal nor temporary nor short-term. The Teesta Valley has been disturbed to such an extent that measures like protective wall or slope protection will not help,” said Subba.
Dispelling the notion that he needs more terms as an MP to complete the task, Subba said: “There is a misconception that to resolve an issue you must continue being an MP. The work I am doing as an MP at present will be continued by my successor.” He left the issue open-ended, stating that critical issues are being examined.
On whether these would fructify remains a million-dollar question. When asked on a timeline, Subba was evasive and non-committal. “I would wish to see it done during my term. Why not? Maybe tomorrow, maybe day after tomorrow,” he said without giving a categoric reply. However, he added that one has to “work within a system and we are trying to expedite it”.
That apart, connectivity, rather the lack of it, has plagued the NH 10 and also the airport that is non-functional—the ground reality being that Sikkim is actually cut-off. “NH 10 is in a deplorable state and we have proposed that we should get a parallel highway to NH 10 which is at a distance from Teesta. A study on this is going on and we hope that this greenfield highway is completed sooner than later and we have requested the centre to expedite this,” said Subba, adding that money has already been sanctioned.
Commending the Modi government for fast-tracking development Subba said: “Talking about Sikkim, the Modi government came to power in 2014. At that point, our highway was 90-100 kilometers; now it is more than 500 kilometers. When you speak of Sikkim you focus on NH 10,” underscoring that besides that a lot more is happening.
As for the airport, Subba said that he was at a loss to understand how the feasibility study was done. “I don’t know what the government of the day was thinking or planning. This was inaugurated in 2018, but the study was done many years earlier. Also, airlines are not willing to operate flights,” he said, claiming to be “perhaps the only MP who has asked the maximum questions on this to the civil aviation ministry.
Will this see the light of the day; will flights ever operate; will there be connectivity? The quick answer: the airport is functional, but without any flights. As for Subba the fight for a flight so to speak is on…
—The writer is an author, journalist and political commentator
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