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.