Sikkim, the eighth State of Northeast India, is all set to get its first-ever airport. This was disclosed by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of the NorthEastern Region (DoNER), Dr Jitendra Singh, while he was speaking to a delegation of BJP party leaders and other activists from the State who called on to discuss the issues related to development projects in the State. Dr Jitendra Singh said: “It is a matter of great satisfaction and pride that Sikkim, which became a part of the Indian Union over 40 years ago, did not have an airport of its own till date and the passengers as well as tourists travelling to Sikkim had to take a flight to Bagdogra and then take the road route to Gangtok. Only with the personal intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi the work on the airport at Pakyong was expedited and is now ready to become operational for the direct flight to Sikkim from other parts of India.” -- In the last few years, the tourist flow into Sikkim has increased manifold and during the peak season there is virtually no accommodation either in hotels nor in guest houses, and quite often, the tourists have to be requested to hold back and postpone their tour programme. With its rich scenic beauty, cosmopolitan milieu and highly disciplined social culture, he said, Sikkim has emerged as one of the most favourite tourist destinations in the entire Indian sub-continent. #1060.4