Golay said the system was being introduced after a significant gap emerged between the number of tourists visiting permit-controlled destinations and the revenue reaching the state government.

According to him, around 15.68 lakh tourists visited Nathula, Tsomgo Lake and Baba Mandir in 2025. At the existing rate of Rs 200 per tourist, the potential collection was around Rs 31.36 crore, while only Rs 3.64 crore reached the government.

"To make this transparent, with no revenue loss, this online system is being initiated," Golay said.

He said the proposed system would allow the Tourism Department to track the number of tourists, permits issued, vehicles entering restricted areas and revenue collected.

"The department will know which vehicle came, which vehicle left and which vehicle obtained a permit. All that information will remain with us," he said.

The system will operate only in areas where permits are required and will not cover the entire state. Nathula, Tsomgo Lake and Baba Mandir, along with permit-controlled destinations in North Sikkim such as Lachen, Lachung, Yumthang and Gurudongmar, will come under the mechanism.

Tourists visiting other destinations in Sikkim will not require an online permit.

Only tour operators and travel agents registered with the Sikkim Tourism Department will be authorised to apply for permits. They will be issued usernames and passwords and will submit applications containing details such as vehicle numbers and drivers' licences.

The system will also be geo-fenced to prevent permit operations from outside Sikkim. Golay said operators in Siliguri, Bagdogra or elsewhere outside the state would not be able to access the booking facility.

"The permit system can only be operated from within Sikkim," he said.

Golay rejected allegations that the government was handing over the permit system to a private company, saying any agency involved would function only as a service provider for operating the technology.

"The service provider will only operate the system. All rights and authority will remain with the Tourism Department," he said.

Permits, he said, would continue to be issued by the Tourism Department, while registered Sikkim-based tour operators and travel agents would apply for them and provide approved permits to tourists.

The permit revenue would be deposited directly with the Tourism Department rather than the service provider, which would receive only a fixed service charge determined by the department.

"All the data and all the revenue generated through the system will remain under the Government of Sikkim and the Tourism Department," Golay said.

He said no final decision had been taken on the service provider and invited Sikkimese residents interested in providing the service to come forward.

"If any Sikkimese brother or sister is ready to provide this service, they can come forward. We are willing to consider them," he said.

The proposed system will also be integrated with check-post management, allowing authorities to verify whether vehicles entering restricted destinations have valid permits.

Golay said the existing Rs 200 permit fee was being reviewed and could be changed after consideration of the proposal. He clarified that the applicable fee would be paid by tourists.

Sikkimese residents, however, would not have to pay the permit fee on submission of valid Sikkim documents. Golay also said local residents would be provided permission for a year.

The Chief Minister linked the online permit system to the wider issue of tourist carrying capacity and traffic management, particularly at Nathula and in North Sikkim during peak seasons.

The matter has already come under judicial scrutiny. Golay said the High Court of Sikkim had taken suo motu cognisance of traffic management issues, with Writ Petition (PIL) No. 6 of 2026 registered in connection with the matter.

He warned that failure to establish an effective mechanism for regulating tourist movement could result in stricter judicial intervention, including restrictions on vehicles accessing Nathula and North Sikkim.

"The court has already taken cognisance of the matter," Golay said, arguing that the government needed a system capable of monitoring tourist movement and managing permits before any such restrictions were imposed.

He said the proposed platform was intended to address both administrative gaps and revenue accountability without transferring control of the permit process away from the Tourism Department.

"The purpose of the system is not to give the system to somebody; it is only a service for operating the permit mechanism," he said.

Golay maintained that the government's primary objective was to ensure that revenue generated through permits was accounted for and returned to the state.

"Our objective is simple, the revenue generated must come to the government. That is our main concern," he said.

How a journalist helped tea farmers rewrite their future in eastern Nagaland