Sikkim Relief Commissioner visits Mangan district disaster-affected areas to evaluate the damage

Revenue and Disaster Management Department Secretary and Relief Commissioner MT Sherpa on Thursday toured the disaster-hit areas of Mangan district's Dongu and Chungthang subdivisions. He was accompanied by Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority Director Prabhakar Rai, Additional Director Rajiv Roka, and other officials of the department on this tour. 

The purpose of this visit was to evaluate the effects of incessant rainfall and initiate expedited as well as long-term relief and rehabilitation efforts by gaining an understanding of the ground situation.  According to the information, the inspection started from Fidang, where a part of the riverside protection wall was found damaged. Along with this, the condition of the Fidang bridge was also assessed. It was decided to repair the temporary bamboo bridge present here and build a new bridge for public use. A brief meeting was held at the SDM office of Chungthang, in which District and Gram Panchayat members, ADC Development, SDM, SDPO, Medical Officer, BDO, Deputy Commandant of NDRF, and officials of related departments were present.

The Relief Commissioner interacted with the elected representatives and sub-divisional officers and appealed to them to maintain patience and unity in the crisis and assured that the government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, is taking all possible steps. He also informed that today, many tourists stranded in Lachen were successfully evacuated by MI-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force, and if the weather is favorable, the remaining tourists will be evacuated tomorrow.

He appealed to the people not to believe in rumors and said that the situation is completely under control and all other parts of Sikkim are completely safe for tourists. On this occasion, the keys of the emergency vehicle were also handed over to SDM Chungthang office by SSDMA. This vehicle has been provided only to Chungthang sub division in the state in view of recent disasters. The team also visited Chungthang Gurudwara and thanked the Sewadars for their selfless service during the time of natural calamities.

A consignment of drugs supplied by the Health Department was also transferred to the Medical Officer of Chungthang, which shall be dispatched to Lachen. The team also checked the landslip damages on the Lachen road. As road connectivity is disrupted at many places, the Relief Commissioner directed the Chungthang SDM to prepare an immediate plan and cost estimate of foot (wooden) bridges at many places on the route from Chungthang to Jema. The team also visited the site of a recent vehicle accident near Munshithang and interacted with NDRF Deputy Commandant Vivek Kumar and other officials. ADC Mangan Pema Wangchen Namkarpa, DPO DDMA Mangan Karma Dorjee Wajalingpa, and other officials were also present during the visit.