Rangpo is a Municipal town in India shared by Pakyong district of the state Sikkim and Kalimpong district of the state West Bengal. The town is situated along the Teesta River and Rangpo River. It is the first town of Sikkim lying on National Highway 10 that links Siliguri to Gangtok. It is about 300m above sea level with a sub-tropical climate. It is the 'Gateway to Sikkim' and all vehicles entering Sikkim have to stop at the Rangpo Police check-post. Foreign tourists are required to present documents to enter Sikkim state and must show them at the police checkpoint. The Rangpo River separates the Rangpo Forest Village lying on the West Bengal side from the Rangpo Municipal Town lying on the Sikkim side.
Geography
Rangpo is located at 27°11′N88°32′E / 27.18°N 88.53°E / 27.18; 88.53.[3] It has an average elevation of 333metres (1093feet). The town lies on the belt of two rivers, River Teesta which comes from Dikchu-Singtam-Majitar side, and River Rangpo which comes from Rongli-Rorathang-Kumrek side. Both rivers meet each other below the town. The conjunction point is named Rangpo Doban and is utilized as a cremation place. Since River Teesta is the largest river and River Rangpo the third largest river of Sikkim so both rivers become violent during the monsoon season, especially between June and September; hence, sometimes the river overflows towards lower residential areas of the town and causes destruction.
Transport
Roadways
As Rangpo lies on NH-10, so frequent service jeeps and taxis are available to almost all cities and towns of Sikkim and cities/towns of West Bengal like Siliguri, Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Kurseong, Jaigaon, Malbazar, Bagdogra, Panitanki etc.
In Rangpo, NH-10 is joined by the following major roads:
Indian Oil Petrol Pump at Rangpo, Pakyong District Sikkim
There are many factories and companies in and nearby Rangpo.
The areas like Mining, Kumrek, Chanatar, etc. are home to many pharmaceutical and other factories/Industries.
Rangpo Upper market along NH-10 is famous for Fast Food and Restaurants. There are many food stores in these areas. Areas like Upper market, lower market, IBM, Chanataar, Mining etc. are usually crowded.
The famous schools of the town include Rangpo Senior Secondary School, Chanataar Secondary School, New Horizon Academy, Little Bells School, Tiny Tots School, Hans Raj Academy, Ivana Memorial School, etc., on the Sikkim side, whereas Dewan Junior High School, Divya Jyoti Academy, etc., on the West Bengal side.
Demographics
As of the 2001 India census,[6] Rangpo had a population of 3,724. Males constituted 55% of the population and females 45%. Rangpo had an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy was 75%, and female literacy was 63%. In Rangpo, 13% of the population was under 6 years of age.
Rangpo has a large population of Bhutias and Nepalese people. Marwari and Bihari businessmen have settled in the town and own most of the shops.[citation needed]
Religion
Religious Demographic in Rangpo Nagar-Panchayat (2011)[7]
The foundation stone for the construction of a new railway line from Sevoke railway station (station code SVQ) to the proposed Rangpo railway station on the border of Sikkim and West Bengal was laid in October 2009 by the vice president of India.[9] In 2008, the line was proposed to be 53km long with 5ft6in (1,676mm)broad gauge track with only a few tunnels but the final alignment is 45km long with more number of tunnels. Of this, 3.5km will be in Sikkim state and the rest in West Bengal state. The track will have 28 bridges and 14 tunnels and 38.6km of the track will be in tunnels.[10][11] The track will be constructed through the foothills of the Kanchanjungha mountain range and the Teesta river valley.[citation needed] New railway stations will be constructed at Riayang, Geil Khola, Teesta Bazaar, Melli, and Rangpo. [speculation?]
The Indian Railways signed a contract with the construction company, IRCON, only in May 2010, though the foundation stone had been laid in October 2009. The final alignment had not been fixed for the first 22km through the elephant sanctuary forest, even in 2013, and the final clearance of the environment ministry had not been received.[12] To obtain approval of the environment and forest ministry, the railways made a proposal in February 2013 to install elephant sensors along the stretch of the proposed railway line in Mahananda elephant sanctuary or run the trains at a speed of only 20km per hour in the forest area and stop when an elephant is sighted close to the track.[13] People of two villages in East Sikkim, through which a 3.5km stretch of the 45km long railway line has been planned, had not agreed to give their land for laying the track.[14]
The Supreme Court of India approved the project in February 2016 with strict guidelines of the National Wildlife Board that cleared the project in June 2015, but ordered restricted speed, wireless animal tracking sensors, and allowed digging of tunnels only during daytime. However, a "No Objection Certificate" (NOC) was still needed from the gram sabhas (village councils) of all the villages in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts in West Bengal through which the track will pass. The construction cannot start without the NOC. However, the Gram Sabhas do not exist due to the non-holding of rural elections in the Hills for the past several years, and therefore, no NOC could be obtained.[15] This is a catch 22 situation holding up the commencement of construction. The project cost has escalated from the estimated cost of Rs. 13.4 billion in 2008[16] to Rs. 60 billion, and construction of the railway line has not started even in 2018. The Railway Board chairman visited and met the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) officials on 2 March 2018 to discuss the status of the project.[17] Finally, a NOC was issued by GTA on 11 April 2018 on behalf of the villages.[18][19] However, no tender has been issued and no bid has been invited for the project after April 2018.
The railway line is needed for security and socio-economic reasons. The railway line will help troops and armaments move faster towards the Indo-Tibet border.[citation needed]
The new railway line allows easier access to the rest of India through Siliguri.[citation needed] It will boost the state's economy and tourism.[original research?][speculation?]
Summary of Sikkim railway project
Estimated cost: Rs. 1,340 crore (13.4 billion) in 2008, but may exceed Rs. 60 billion when the project is completed in 2022.
Rangpo was affected by the 2023 Sikkim flash floods, which hit Rangpo around 2 am on 4 October 2023. Most surviving people were shifted to relief camps immediately by the authorities.
