In the words of the Lachen Pipon TG Lachenpa, “Lachen has carved a niche as one among the top six UNDP sites. Started in the year 2004, the project in Lachen concluded well before the stipulated time thus attracting interest from other UNDP sites about the uniqueness of the village.

When asked about the success of the project, the Pipon said that 90 percent of the work under ETP was over and that there was no misuse of funds in Lachen under the Dzumsa administration adding, “No one can misuse funds here”

The project was funded in two components-hardware and software. According to the chief coordinator of the project Nima Tashi, Hardware comes under infrastructure including construction of footpath connecting all the houses in Lachen village up to the Lachen monastery. The infrastructure funded by the Ministry of Tourism at a tune of Rs 50 lakhs also included construction of a traditional bathroom near the monastery and the construction of a traditional gate, he said. The funds were transferred through the District Collectorate, Mangan as the “focal point” of the project.

UNDP had given 30 lakhs as funds for software, which included capacity building programme in guides, cooks,rock climbing, mountaineering, garbage and waste management along with reputed consultants from Kerala, publicity material including printing of brochures and a booklet on Lachen.

Knowing the need to be acquainted with the local culture and tradition, experts were engaged to document the place, culture and tradition of Lachen whereby a 12-paged booklet was made and the same imparted to the local youths. As a part of the software project, a consultant was also brought in from Guwahati to make future business plans for Lachen.

The UNDP project will come to an end in December, 2008 and the Dzumsa already has plans on how to keep up with the development. In the recent meeting, the local administration chalked out plans to carry out the waste management programme. “To look after the waste management, we have planned to form an organization, independent from Dzumsa but governed by it so that revenue generation can be done,” Mr. Lachenpa said. He added that the plans would bear fruit only if such organizations are governed by Pipon and the Dzumsa. “Independent committees alone will not be effective here,” he said.

The UNDP project has already started showing results. According to the Pipon, Lachen had only seven hotels when the UNDP project started in 2004. This has increased to 27, he said. Likewise, the number of taxis has increased from 15 in 2004 to 50.

This shows that tourist inflow to the village has scaled the graph. The data collected by the Mountain Institute, the implementing agency of the ETP project shows that the number of tourist have come to around 18, 000 only till July. Only around 10, 000 tourists were recorded in the last few years. The data showed 30 percent rise in tourist inflow to Lachen.

Moreover, the local administration has focused on promoting homestays. At least eight homestays have been developed as of date and there are still plans to increase this number.

The area MLA cum State Health Minister Hissey Lachungpa congratulated the former and present Pipons and the public in general for the success of the UNDP project and for setting an example in village tourism. He also sought people’s will to celebrate the village tourism day ever year in Lachen.

Expressing delight over the horse ride organized for the guests, the area MLA praised the effort and at the same time suggested the improving of basic facilities for the tourists.

Mr. Lachungpa further announced the making of  a bigger tourist information center where photographs of Alexander David Neel who meditated at Deothang cave along with Lachen Rinpoche would be displayed along with other rare local art and crafts.

Discouraging multi-storied concrete structure coming  up in Lachen, the area MLA handed over a photograph of Lachen taken in 1936 to the Pipon and told him to work on the same lines whereby the uniqueness of Lachen acquired in the 1930s would be retained for years to come. “People come here to know the food, culture and lifestyle. So it is high time, the people of Lachen should preserve these as well as improve upon them,” he added.

He also dwelt upon the church built at Lachen by the Finnish missionaries and asked the locals to look for the bell that was found in the church so that a monument may be built as an added attraction for the tourists.

As a step towards increasing tourism in the area, Mr. Lachungpa suggested a collaboration  with Alexander Foundation in France.

Detailing that Lachen has the most beautiful areas for tourist interest, particularly in adventure tourism, he requested the State Tourism Department to restore the trek route to Green Lake via Zema, which was damaged in the recent landslides. At the same time, he said that the areas like Chopta, Lashar, Gyamkhana et can be exploited and promoted.

He further stressed on the quality of work in the ongoing Lama Ongden trek route.

Hailing the success of the UNDP project in Lachen, the State Tourism Secretary SBS Bhadauria assured full support from the department.

While informing about some of the village tourism policies, he said that tourists must be given utmost care from the time of arrival to departure especially in transport as roads to North Sikkim are unpredictable at times.

Yishey D