BRO rescues stranded tourist in Sikkim

The entire state of Sikkim experienced unprecedented heavy rains, snow, and hail storms from March 15 to 17

Post the final exams of students for the academic session; it is the tourist season in the state of Sikkim. Tourists from all over the country are flocking to Sikkim to see the Nathu La Pass, Harbhajan Baba Mandir, Zuluk, Gurudongmar Lake, and Valley of Flowers.

The entire state of Sikkim experienced unprecedented heavy rains, snow, and hail storms from March 15 to 17. Tourists visiting these attractions became stranded because the roads were covered in snow and sleet, making car and taxi movement on these roads very slippery and risky.

Tourists who went with the intention of returning to their Gangtok hotels at night were unprepared for such cold weather. Due to a lack of warm clothing, food, and a place to stay for the night, all tourists were stranded.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) came to the aid of these stranded tourists here. Border Roads Organisation is a premier road construction organisation under the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India. They construct and maintain nearly all roads near the country’s borders. In Sikkim, the BRO’s Project Swastik is in charge of the roads leading to all of these tourist destinations.

The Karamyogis of BRO Project Swastik went out to help the locals and tourists in two ways: they cleared the roads so that all tourists could return to their places of stay, and they also provided shelter and food for 175 tourists, including a large number of women and children, to stay for the night. Seeing the large number of tourists who had nowhere to stay and no food to eat, the BRO Karamyogis picked up these stranded tourists from the road and drove them to their camp. They were given a place to sleep for the night, a hot cup of tea, and meals for everyone.

The main responsibility of BRO – road maintenance – was shared by the same Karamyogis. They worked all hours of the day and night to ensure that the roads were open in 6-8 hours. Despite the continuous snow and rain, BRO’s heavy duty equipment ensured that the roads were open the next morning for all 175 tourists and taxis to return to their respective locations. In the morning, the BRO Karamyogis obtained their own buses from various locations and transported the stranded tourists to Gangtok. The tourists and local administration were grateful to BRO for assisting, caring for, and then evacuating 175 tourists and taxis back to Gangtok.

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