Socio-Cultural Environment - Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT)

The present work is a study on socio-economic resources of
Sikkim. The mountain state of Sikkim is one of the smallest states in
India as far as its geographical area is concerned, but one of the richest
in terms of certain natural resources, especially forests and water - two
vital ingredients of its physical environment. Sikkim’s location in the
Eastern Himalayas in a humid tropical regime makes it exceptionally rich
in water and natural vegetation. The socio-economic well being of the
state is crucially linked with the judicious utilization as well as
conservation of these two vital natural resources.
Sikkim is fortunate to have a very small population. The total
population of Sikkim (550,000 approx) is even less than any of the major
cities in India. More than fifty per cent of Sikkim’s total area lies
uninhabited. The inhospitable terrain and harsh climate have restricted
the extent of human habitation in the state within the altitudes of 3500 m.
The fact that a very large portion of Sikkim lies, above and much beyond
3500 m makes it clear that an extensive landmass is not available for
human activities. However, the small size of population of the state does
not necessarily mean that the state has low carrying capacity. The
socio-economic carrying capacity of the state seems to be flexible and
can be increased substantially if judicious exploitation and distribution of
resources is ensured.
The mountain environment of Sikkim is fragile as well as vulnerable.
However, being comparatively new to modern planning processes, there
is enough scope to learn from the past experiences and problems faced
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CISMHE