Gyalshing, 02nd March 2020 (IPR): The preparatory meeting for the Holy Festival ‘Bhumchu’ called by the Hon’ble Deputy Speaker (SLA) cum Area MLA (Yuksam Tashiding) Shri. Sangay Lepcha was held at the Yatri Niwas, Tashiding, West Sikkim. The Meeting was chaired by Shri. Sonam Lama, Minister RDD & Ecclesiastics Department in the presence of Shri. Sangay Lepcha, Hon’ble Deputy Speaker, SLA along with Shri. Karma R. Bonpo, DC West; Shri. Nahkul Pradhan, ASP West; HoDs of Line Departments West; Officials; Monks (Tashiding Monastery) and public.
Shri. Sonam Lama whilst consulting with the Bhumchu celebration committee mentioned that the Festival of Bhumchu caters to the pilgrims who come from national and international countries to collect the ‘Holy Water’ as believed by the Buddhists. He mentioned that the State Government in coordination with the Bhumchu Committee is ready to aid the Bhumchu festival and provide necessary help to make it a success. He also mentioned and directed the Officials of the Line Departments to remain vigilant in providing cooperation to the 2020 Bhumchu Festival. He also urged the Police Department to deploy extra manpower in order to handle the traffic and crowd at the Tashiding Monastery. Further, he urged DC West along with CMO West to maintain a vigil for the sick and have a medical team camped at the site. He also further directed the Medical team to properly screen devotees for maintaining a preventive measure against the latest global threat of Corona Virus. He also urged that standardization of parking fee would be decided by the Administration for the Bhumchu Festival so that the devotees wouldn’t be wrongfully overcharged. He also mentioned that vehicles coming for exclusively Bhumchu from Bhutan and Nepal would be exempted from paying the parking fee.
DC West informed that a special Medical screening of devotees would be done at strategic points as a preventive measure against the Corona Virus and hence positive cooperation is sought from the Bhumchu devotees coming from various places. He further mentioned that he along with CMO West would soon chalk out a plan to make necessary arrangements as a preventative measure against Corona Virus. He also suggested that sanitation arrangements should be made a priority.
Similarly, ASP West also assured that necessary arrangements would be made for the law and order along with the traffic flow in Tashiding for the smooth functioning of Bhumchu.
Later, the Deputy Speaker and RDD Minister along with DC West and HoDs of Line departments visited the Tashiding Monastery, took stock of the situation and offered their prayers.