Opposition SDF flags poor roads across Sikkim through online campaign

The opposition Sikkim Democratic Front on January 2 rolled out a month-long online campaign to spotlight what it claims is the deteriorating state of roads across Sikkim, directly challenging the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha over its governance record.

The initiative, titled SKM Road Report, will feature constituency-wise videos documenting road conditions from across the Himalayan state. The party said the campaign is intended to present on-ground realities to the public through visual evidence released throughout January.

SDF vice-president Suman Chamling said the campaign comes against the backdrop of the SKM government’s much-publicised BIPASA promise — Bijli, Pani, Sadak (electricity, water, roads) — which was projected as a core plank of its agenda. Nearly two years into the government’s term, he alleged, road infrastructure across Sikkim tells a different story.

“From rural interiors to urban centres, roads are riddled with neglect, posing serious risks to public safety and causing daily hardship to commuters, students, patients, and traders,” Chamling said, adding that poor road conditions have become a routine burden for residents.

According to him, the SKM Road Report seeks to hold the present government accountable by placing people’s lived realities on a public platform. The SDF plans to systematically release visuals from every constituency to highlight what it describes as a widening gap between the SKM government’s promises and its delivery.

“The SDF asserts that infrastructure development cannot remain confined to slogans and publicity campaigns. Roads are a basic necessity and a reflection of governance priorities,” Chamling said, reiterating that the party would continue to raise public issues “responsibly” while demanding accountability from those in power and standing “firmly with the people of Sikkim.”