Sikkim’s lone Lok Sabha MP, Indra Hang Subba, on Tuesday urged the Centre to expedite a strategically important road project along the India-Nepal border and sought an update on the long-pending reservation of Assembly seats for the Limboo and Tamang Scheduled Tribes.
During a meeting with Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan in New Delhi, Subba submitted a detailed representation highlighting several issues concerning the state, according to a statement issued by his office.
The MP requested priority for the proposed all-weather road connecting Border Outpost (BOP) Nambu with Border Pillar 34/1 and extending to BOP Hanspokhri. He said the project is crucial for improving connectivity, strengthening military logistics and enhancing operational preparedness along the India-Nepal border.
Subba also raised the long-pending demand for reservation of Assembly seats for the Limboo and Tamang communities, which were included in the Scheduled Tribes list in 2003 but are yet to receive political reservation in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly.
Acknowledging that the matter is political and beyond the Home Secretary’s direct jurisdiction, the MP sought an update on the measures being taken by the Centre to move the issue forward.
He also highlighted the difficult working conditions faced by personnel of the Sashastra Seema Bal deployed in the region and urged the Centre to extend the Risk and Hardship (R1H1) Allowance to personnel of the 36th and 72nd Battalions serving in high-altitude and glacial terrain.
The memorandum emphasised the need to strengthen border infrastructure and improve welfare measures for security personnel while reiterating the long-standing demand of the Limboo and Tamang communities for legislative representation.
