Singtam

Singtam is a town which lies mostly in Gangtok District and partly in Pakyong District in the Indian state of Sikkim about from the state capital Gangtok. The town lies on the banking of the rivers Teesta and Ranikhola, which join together just below the town. NH10 and NH510 meet in Singtam. The Indreni Bridge and Sherwani Bridge over the river Teesta are in the town. Singtam District Hospital, the district hospital of Pakyong District, lies at Golitar, Singtam.

Geography

Singtam is located at . It has an average elevation of 1396 feet. As the town lies on the bank of two rivers River Teesta and Ranikhola, so during Monsoon especially from June to September the volume of both the river increases heavily, as a result destruction is caused on the low lying areas of the town especially at Adarsh gaon and Jublee line part of the town.

Demographics

India census, Singtam had a population of 5,868. Males constitute 56% of the population and females 44%. Singtam has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 75%, and female literacy is 66%. In Singtam, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Transportation

;Air
The nearest airport to Singtam is at Pakyong Airport in Sikkim from where flights operate to and from Delhi, Guwahati and Kolkata and away at Bagdogra in West Bengal, where scheduled flights operate to and from Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Patna, Ahmedabad, Dibrugarh, and Guwahati. Druk Airways from Bagdogra operate to and from Bangkok and Paro. Bagdogra airport is connected to Gangtok by a helicopter service operating between Gangtok-Bagdogra-Gangtok.

;Rail
The two nearest railway stations are at Siliguri Junction away and New Jalpaiguri away. They provide links to all important cities in India.

Rangpo railway station is an under construction railway station which is 10 kilometres away from Singtam.

;Road
National highway NH10 (Formerly NH-31A) passes through Singtam and connects to the town to the rest of the nation. Long-distance buses ply from major towns in Bihar, West Bengal and other neighbouring states to Siliguri. From Siliguri, it takes about 3 hours to reach Singtam. Private taxis, shared taxi jeeps ply regularly on NH10. Government buses (SNT) and Privately operated buses are also available throughout the day. These transport options mostly operate between Siliguri-Gangtok/Singtam route. Jeep services are available between Gangtok/Singtam-New Jalpaiguri (NJP) and Gangtok/Singtam-Bagdogra route.

In Singtam NH-10 is joined by the following major roads:
* Chungthang- Mangan- Dikchu-Singtam Road
* Gyalshing- Legship-Tarku-Singtam Road(NH-510)
* Namchi- Damthang-Temi-Singtam Road
* Ravangla-Yangyang-Mangley-Singtam Road

Daily Taxi services access almost all cities and towns of Sikkim and cities/towns of West Bengal like Siliguri, Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Kurseong, Jaigaon, Malbazar, Bagdogra, Panitanki etc.

Frequent buses operated by Sikkim Nationalised Transport (SNT) are available from Singtam to Sikkim Nationalised Transport Bus Terminus (Siliguri) and Gangtok, apart from it many private buses and NBSTC buses are available from the town to Gangtok, NJP Bus Stand and Tenzing Norgay Bus Terminus, (Siliguri).

Note: foreigners need a permit to enter Sikkim which they can easily get at Siliguri or at Rangpo, Sikkim.

Economy

Singtam is one of largest market towns in Sikkim and is easily accessible from almost all cities and towns of Sikkim.

The trade in large cardamom, the broom plant (kuccho) and ginger is important in Singtam's economy.

Attractions

* Indreni Bridge over River Teesta
* Sherwani Bridge over River Teesta
* Confluence point of River Teesta and Ranikhola.
* Balutar
* Bhanu Park.

See also

* Pakyong Airport
* Rangpo railway station
* River Teesta

References

Cities and towns in Gangtok district
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