The India-China border’s Cho La and Dok La have opened to battlefield tourists

On Monday, the battlefield tourist project opened the vital Cho La and Dok La routes at the border between China and India.

Prem Singh Tamang, the chief minister of Sikkim, officially announced the opening of these frontier areas by flagging off 25 motorcycles and tourist vehicles from the Ridge Park in Gangtok.

Dok La, which is 15,600 feet above sea level, had a standoff between Chinese and Indian forces in 2017. Cho La rose to fame during the Indo-China War in 1967.

According to Tamang, the opening of Cho La and Dok La was intended to boost tourism in the border region and provide local inhabitants with employment opportunities.

According to him, the goal of the Center’s “Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan,” or battlefield tourism initiative, is to raise awareness of the historical significance of strategically important border areas by opening them to controlled tourism.

He claimed that the effort will instill a sense of patriotism in the populace and raise awareness of the bravery and sacrifices made by the military personnel.

In order to guarantee the safe transit of tourists, the state administration has been working for the past two months to open the passes in collaboration with the Army and the Centre, according to CS Rao, Additional Chief Secretary for the Tourism Department.

Basic utilities have already been installed, he said, while infrastructure development work is still ongoing.

He continued, “Tourists can visit these areas on a two-day package with homestays made available at a minimal charge and vehicle rates fixed.”