Mamata in Siliguri on Monday. (Kundan Yolmo)

Kurseong, Sept. 19: Mamata Banerjee made her first hills visit as chief minister today to take stock of earthquake destruction and relief, and spoke of a possible trip to Sikkim tomorrow if circumstances and the roads allowed one.

Mamata flew into Bagdogra at 1.30pm, drove to Kurseong where she climbed 40-odd steps at a quake-damaged house to meet the family, and returned to Siliguri where she was to spend the night.

The chief minister had initially asked ministers Partha Chatterjee and Gautam Deb to visit the north Bengal hills and plains where the tremor has claimed seven lives, injured dozens and damaged property. But she changed her plans and herself made the trip, accompanied by Union shipping minister Mukul Roy.

“I decided to come and find out the extent of damage in our state and Sikkim, the conditions of tourists, and the arrangements made by the authorities so far,” Mamata told reporters after a briefing from officials at power company WBSEDCL’s rest-house here.

“Relief and rescue work is in full swing. Raghavendra Singh (principal secretary of tourism and north Bengal development affairs) is with me; he will look after the despatch of relief.”

In Calcutta, chief secretary Samar Ghosh said Raghavendra and the inspector-general of police (north Bengal) would travel to Sikkim to oversee the return of tourists from Bengal.

Mamata met the district magistrates of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri, and Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council administrator Anil Verma. She said she wanted to help Sikkim too.

“I spoke to the (Sikkim) chief minister yesterday. Our officials and men are trying to restore the road to Sikkim. Our officials sent 2,000 food packets and essential medicines with a health team to Sikkim today. Similar relief will be sent tomorrow,” she said.

“I am contemplating visiting Sikkim tomorrow but have learnt that the worst-affected area is around an eight-hour journey from Siliguri. Also, the roads are not in good condition. If the situation permits, and if I can make arrangements, Mukul and I will visit Sikkim tomorrow with relief materials.”

Mamata then drove to the Mandirbusty locality to visit the home of Deepak Yolmo where a falling boulder had cracked walls and broken furniture.

Climbing down the stairs at Yolmo’s home, she ran into Gorkha Janmukti Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri. “Please keep in touch with the administration and work together to help the people,” she told Giri.

After about 40 minutes in Kurseong, Mamata left the hills and headed to Siliguri district hospital where 14 quake victims are being treated. Her next destination was Khalpara in Siliguri, where businessman Binod Agarwal, 48, was crushed under a collapsed wall yesterday, and consoled the family.

At the NHPC bungalow on the town’s outskirts, her home for the night, Mamata said: “We have passed on instructions that the affected people be rescued and homeless families provided shelter. I would like to go to Sikkim tomorrow but a lot depends on the state of (road) communications.”

The state government has announced a Rs 2-lakh compensation for the family of each of Bengal’s dead.