Save our heritage

from sikkimexpress.com

This is in response to an Auction Notice issued by the Office of the Superintending Engineer, Roads & Bridges Department, Gyalshing, Government of Sikkim, regarding the auction of bridge parts of the old Rathong Suspension Bridge on the Rimbi-Yuksom Road, which belongs to the above mentioned Department.
According to the Auction Notice, the salvage value of the bridge parts has been worked out at Rs. Four Lakhs Fifty Thousand, Nine Hundred Fifteen.

I would like to request the Secretary of the Department if the suspension bridges in these places can be left the way it is. Suspension bridges all over the world have lots of charm and historical significance. They are a huge tourist attraction as well. Tourist visiting rural areas of Sikkim would expect the rustic charm and suspension bridges add to the allure of the place.

It is indeed sad that suspension bridges in Sikkim are all dying out and very little or nothing is being done to restore and preserve them. It is very much part of Sikkim's engineering heritage and I wish we could save some and showcase it as a tourist attraction. I think it would be in Sikkim's interests to have these beautiful structures preserved for younger generations.

Milan Rai,

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Proud to be a Sikkimese: Sikkim Travel, Culture & Local Heritage

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