Tourist vehicles coming to Sikkim have to carry garbage bags

Gangtok: An official edict states that all tourist vehicles entering Sikkim will now be required to carry a large garbage bag. The decree from the Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation stated that the decision was made to guarantee community involvement in reaching the objective of environmental sustainability.

It will be the responsibility of the tour operators, travel agencies, and vehicle drivers to inform the traveller about the use of garbage bags for waste disposal, it said.

Random checks of tourist vehicles would be conducted to ensure compliance and any vehicle found violating the order, will be penalised, it added, PTI reported.

Awareness campaigns about cleanliness are being carried out to educate tourists about waste management and environmental sustainability, officials said.

Sikkim, which is India's least populated state with over 6 lakh residents, gets more than 20 lakh visitors every year for its picturesque Himalayan destinations, they s

aid.