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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Bad weather stalls rescue ops in Sikkim by Caesar Mandal

Bad weather stalls rescue ops in Sikkim by Caesar Mandal

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published Published on Sep 24, 2011   modified Modified on Sep 24, 2011

Torrential rain and fresh landslides on Saturday hampered search and rescue operations in North Sikkim's quake-affected areas. The death toll of the Sikkim quake stood at 77.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will visit Sikkim on September 27. He will fly over north Sikkim for an aerial survey of the quake-hit areas. State information secretary Karma Topgay said the Sikkim government will give him a memorandum about the assistance needed from the Centre.

The government will set up 52 new relief camps to accommodate more people. Sikkim Human Resource development minister N K Pradhan said more than 2,000 houses and 23 schools were damaged. About 192 schools were partially damaged. "We have sent teams to assess the damage in schools so that children can resume normal life as soon as possible," he said.

Saturday's bad weather was a fresh challenge for the Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel already struggling in the hostile terrain. Thousands of villagers and workers remained stranded in the upper reaches of the Himalayas.

Many like Hangu Lepcha steeled themselves to rebuild their lives with a new resolve. Relief had not reached Hangu's Naga village on the bank of Teesta even six days after Sunday's quake. But that did not deter Hangu. Early Saturday morning, he began rebuilding his log house.

"The house collapsed after the first wave of tremors. Rocks and boulders tumbling down the hillside smashed what was left of it. I managed to escape with my wife and children. We have been staying in the village school since then. But we cannot live like this forever. If I keep brooding, I will become a wreck," Hangu said.

A dagger was the only possession he could retrieve from his damaged house. Armed with it, Hangu headed to the forest to collect wood for his house. Others were inspired by him.

"We must start life afresh. Waiting for the government aid won't help. We have to survive on our own," said Chou Lanchungpa, an elderly resident of Lachung, still out of bounds of relief and rescue teams.

The quake destroyed Chou's home. He trekked 36 hours to reach the district town, Mangan, to borrow money from a friend. "I will buy some corrugated sheets and take them to my village when the road reopens," he said.

Army, Border Roads Organization and General Reserve Engineering Force personnel have pooled resources to restore road connectivity in North Sikkim. Fresh landslides though hampered their efforts. They have managed to connect Mangan to Gangtok and Singtam. Beyond this, the road to north Sikkim is still blocked.

"The road between Tung and Chungthang has been badly damaged. Two teams have been working from either end. We have to clear 3.4 km of road to connect Chunthang with Mangan," said K Harikrishna, GREF assistant executive engineer.

After Chungthang, the team will rebuild roads up to Lachung on one side and Lachen on the other. These roads and those beyond are close to the epicentre where there are frequent landslides.

The Times of India, 25 September, 2011, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bad-weather-stalls-rescue-ops-in-Sikkim/articleshow/10109229.cms


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