Pawan Chamling focuses on home-made resources

Gangtok, Jan 29: Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling today announced that a mandatory clause for using produces of the state and employing local residents would be inserted in the legislation that issues and renews trade licences.

Chamling directed chief secretary N.D. Chingapa to frame a proposal and put it before him. The chief minister was addressing a gathering of businessmen, civil society representatives and stakeholders of the tourism industry at a meeting on “development of Gangtok and its cleanliness” at Chintan Bhavan here.

“Every shop and hotel must use local the organic products of Sikkim,” Chamling said.

He appealed to the businessmen (most of whom belong to the Marwari community) to engage local residents in every trade unit.

The meet was organised by the Sikkim urban development and housing department. Its minister, D.D. Bhutia, was present at the meeting. The chief minister directed the department to get the figures on Sikkimese people being employed and produces used in black and white.

“Vehicle owners must employ drivers from Sikkim and that must be verified while renewing permits,” he said.

On the ongoing beautification drive and renovation of M.G. Marg, the main thoroughfare of the town, Chamling asked the businessmen to keep all the shops in Gangtok neat and tidy. This has to be done by February as the international flower show is scheduled for March.

All the shops and private houses in M.G. Marg must have three garbage bins (for degradable, non-degradable and metal wastes) for better disposal of waste, Chamling said.

A satellite township of Gangtok was being planned in Ranka on the adjacent hill to de-congest the capital, Chamling added.