The hill town of Mirik and several parts of the Darjeeling subdivision are slowly returning to normal after devastating landslides and a surge in water levels of rivers and streams following heavy rain.
“We have conducted a detailed assessment of the number of damaged houses, roads and other properties after landslides wreaked havoc on the Mirik municipal area. The report has been submitted to the chief minister,” L.B. Rai, the chairperson of the board of administrators, said at Dudhia on Tuesday.
The picturesque tourist hub, about 50km from Siliguri, was hit by a massive landslide on the night of October 4, killing 11 people in Mirik and its adjoining areas. Road connectivity to Mirik, ringed by rolling tea gardens and blue hills, was snapped after the collapse of a steel bridge over the Balason river at Dudhia.
According to the Mirik civic board’s assessment, 32 houses were destroyed and 183 were partially damaged, while 152 boundary walls collapsed and 18 roads were rendered unusable. A tentative estimate suggests that over 100 houses have been damaged in the Mirik subdivision.
A relief camp has been opened at Soureni community hall in Mirk, where over 100 people have taken shelter.
“Power supply has been restored in Mirik. Drinking water is being supplied to all nine wards through tankers, although poor road conditions are making access to some areas difficult,” Rai said.
The water supply in rural areas of Mirik has been disrupted, and efforts are underway to restore it, a source said.
In the wider Darjeeling Sadar subdivision, around 160 localities in Bijanbari and Sukhiapokhri blocks have been affected. Nearly 22,000 people have been impacted. A total of 29 roads have been damaged, and restoration work is currently underway.
Officials said three relief camps were opened at Reshihat, Chandraman Dhura and the Sangma community hall, sheltering about 110 displaced residents since the disaster struck.
Data released by the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) show that over 50 roads were breached across the hills. “We are trying our best to reach all the affected areas, but roads have been breached badly,” said an official.