New Delhi, June 18 : Lok Sabha MP from Sikkim, Indra Hang Subba, traveled to the national capital on June 18 for a meeting with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Kartavya Bhawan, where road connectivity along the state’s northern border featured prominently in the discussion.
Subba told the minister that stretches of road serving North Sikkim continue to suffer from chronic upkeep problems, pointing to the region’s difficult terrain, harsh weather swings, and frequent landslides or blockages that cut off access for days at a stretch. Given the area’s proximity to the international border, he argued that building all-weather roads there is not just a development priority but a matter of national security, since reliable routes are essential for moving troops and supplies as well as for sustaining the communities who live along them.
Beyond the roads themselves, the MP pressed for a broader push to modernize infrastructure across these sensitive border belts, telling Singh that upgraded facilities would make it easier for security personnel to operate in the region while also opening up opportunities for the people who call North Sikkim home.
The conversation then turned to a set of long-running political demands. Subba asked the Defence Minister, who holds a senior position within the NDA, to help speed up the long-pending move to add Sikkim’s 12 left-out communities to the central Scheduled Tribe list, a step local leaders have sought for years as a matter of fairness and access to reserved opportunities.
He also flagged the unresolved question of legislative assembly seats reserved for the Limboo and Tamang communities, noting that the two groups still have no dedicated representation in the Sikkim Assembly even though both already carry Scheduled Tribe status under the Constitution. According to Subba, formal recognition without electoral representation leaves the issue only half resolved, and he asked for the Centre’s backing to break the logjam.
Rajnath Singh heard out each of the concerns raised during the meeting and gave an assurance that the government would give them appropriate attention going forward.
Following the meeting, Subba said he remains confident that the Narendra Modi-led government will continue to act on Sikkim’s constitutional and developmental demands even as it works to reinforce the state’s role in the country’s border security architecture.
