Sikkim minister of social welfare, women and child development Samdup Lepcha, also the MLA of the Lachen-Mangan Assembly constituency, held meeting at the state secretariat in Tashiling of Gangtok on Tuesday to take stock of the relief and restoration work in Lachen and surrounding areas.
Located in Mangan, Lachen is one of the popular tourist spots in Sikkim. On May 29 this year, extensive monsoonal rainfall led to flash flood in Sikkim, followed by multiple landslides over the next few days.
The natural disaster snapped road connectivity between Lachen with the rest of the state. Over 150 tourists, along with residents and defence personnel, had to be airlifted.
One of the landslides occurred in Chaten near Lachen, which left seven dead. Two more are still missing.
On Tuesday, Lepcha spoke with officials of different departments to know the status of restoration work, especially road connectivity and power.
“The minister was apprised about the construction of temporary foot suspension bridges, restoration of electricity lines, which included erection of pillars and poles, restoration of cell phone network, and the supply of essential commodities to Lachen,” said a source.
During the meeting, the departments were asked for a priority assessment of the affected areas so that urgent help could be given to the local population and repair
work expedited.
“The restoration of the drinking water supply was a priority area discussed at the meeting. Allocation of funds for the construction of 13 log bridges and clearing of debris along two stretches of local roads were some other issues at the meeting,” the source added.
Chief secretary R. Telang said all necessary approvals would be provided to facilitate relief and restoration work.
“The priority is to restore connectivity. As the road leading to Lachen has suffered extensive damages in multiple locations and bridges were washed away, alternative options like log bridges are being explored so that people can move to other parts of the state by covering a part of the distance on foot and essential supplies can be ferried to such areas at regular intervals,” said an official.
Adventure pause
The department of tourism of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) in Bengal suspended all adventure tourism activities within its ambit from June 16 to
September 15.
The decision has been made to prevent injury or casualty during the ongoing monsoon. In the hills, heavy rainfall triggers flash floods and landslides, risky for adventure sport buffs.
According to the GTA order issued on Monday, adventure sports like rafting, usually on the Teesta river, paragliding at Delo in Kalimpong, and trekking, hiking and canyon walks along various routes have been halted for three months.
“The decision comes because of monsoon. Stakeholders have been asked to strictly follow the ban,” said Dawa Gyalpo Sherpa, field director of the GTA tourism department.