According to officials on Tuesday, the Sikkim government is getting ready to implement an integrated online system for granting Protected Area Permits (PAP) and Restricted Area Permits (RAP), with the goals of enhancing transparency, reducing income leakages, and controlling visitor movement in specified regions.
Under the Sikkim INSPIRES project, the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department organised a stakeholder consultation on the proposed system, which Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang presided. Tour operators, police officers, drivers’ groups, and other stakeholders were present for the consultation.
Tenzing Norgay Lachungpa, the chairman of the tourism department, and Raj Yadav, a senior official, presented the suggested structure and solicited input prior to its execution. Only locations covered by the RAP and PAP regime would be eligible for online permits under the scheme. To guarantee that only qualified tour operators and drivers in Sikkim can provide permits, a geo-fencing system is suggested.
Permits could not be sold or transferred, according to officials, and payments would be paid online. Additionally, the government has asked young people in the area to propose business ideas relating to tourism. According to the department, the system will prioritise protecting high-value tourism locations by taking a “quality over quantity” approach. One example of how controlled tourist access and destination-specific income could support infrastructure development and conservation is Yumthang Valley.
According to officials, money received from specific tourist spots would be ring-fenced and used to fund the upkeep and development of particular places.
Yadav pointed up disparities in 2025 revenue collection data and said that leaks had caused large losses.
He went on to say that real-time monitoring would be made possible by the suggested online, AI-integrated system, which would also close the gaps left by manual permit issuance at checkpoints.
Eligibility requirements were also covered in the consultation. RAP/PAP tours could only be run by Sikkimese drivers and tour companies registered in Sikkim. On designated routes, vehicles registered outside the state would not be allowed. From Rangpo, the point of entry from West Bengal, the geo-fencing system would function.
After hearing complaints from stakeholders, officials announced that they will extend the proposed one-hour permit validity to two hours. Permits would not be directly issued by police or Army officials. Special cases would be handled by the Home Department.
Stakeholders were reassured by officials that sufficient protections would be implemented to secure personal data and stop information breaches.
