An administrative team on Thursday visited Lachen, a popular tourist spot in the Mangan district of Sikkim, as the area continued to remain cut off from the rest of the state for almost 20 days.
On May 30, road connectivity to Lachen snapped because of multiple landslides between Chungthang and Lachen. Some bridges have been washed away by streams that had swollen because of intense rainfall.
“The team, along with the chief of Lachen dzumsa (a traditional local self-government) and representatives of different departments, visited some areas of Lachen to assess the damage,” said a source.
They were accompanied by a team from a private mobile network company.
“The houses damaged by the landslides were inspected and the engineering team noted down the need for protective walls and the drainage system in different locations. They also checked potential landslide spots where immediate protective measures are required,” said a source.
The team also checked the stock of food grains and medicines in Lachen, the source added.
A hotelier who runs hotels in Lachen said they are keeping fingers crossed. “We hope the road connectivity is restored earlier. Unlike Lachung, where the road was opened after the landslides, Lachen remains cut off. The restoration is essential to confirm that tourists make bookings and plan trips to north Sikkim during the Durga Puja holidays, which are around three months away,” he said.
Meanwhile, state minister Bhoj Raj Rai and some other elected representatives visited Melli, an area that is in the southern parts of the mountain state near the interstate border with Bengal.
Due to extensive monsoonal downpours, the Teesta has swelled and eroded a portion of its bank in Melli, thus leaving some of the houses in precarious conditions.
“The state government is constantly monitoring the situation and will carry out necessary protection works,” said Rai.
The rainfall had also led to slides in Likhubhir along NH-10 and has also damaged a stretch between Melli Bazaar and Kirney, prompting the administration to regulate vehicular movement.
“Repair and restoration works have started in the concerned locations, but the rainfall is disrupting such works. If it rains a bit less during the next few days, some basic repairs can be carried out,” said a source in the Kalimpong district administration.
Weather experts, however, hinted that there is a forecast of more rainfall during the next couple of days in sub-Himalayan Bengal and Sikkim.
“The southwest monsoon is active over the region and there can be heavy to very heavy rainfall (70 mm to 200 mm) during the next two to three days,” said an expert.