The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and Kalimpong district administration have decided to resurvey areas affected by the glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) on the Teesta on October 4, 2023.

The GTA and the district administration formed a 14-member committee that would conduct the resurvey to assess the number of affected people and the current state of affairs at Teesta Bazar and in the adjacent areas, which were devastated by the flood.

“The resurvey started yesterday (on Monday). During the resurvey, the district administration’s technical team and representatives of the GTA and rural bodies will visit the affected areas over the next couple of months. After that, a final report will be prepared to determine the compensation for the total number of people,” Hemant Rai, a GTA Sabha member of Reli-Samthar, said on Tuesday.

In 2024, a team of insurance surveyors and loss assessors submitted that property worth ₹12.5 crore had been damaged in five Bengal villages after the GLOF. The villages are Gafur Busty, Nazok forest hamlet, Gel Khola, Deogram and Teesta Bazar.

“A total of 104 huts/buildings were damaged and the valuation of the damaged properties stands at ₹12,53,73,660,” a source had earlier said.

Sources, however, said the residents had disagreed with the assessment. They claimed that many families were left out of the list of affected people and demanded a resurvey, which has finally started.

“We welcome the decision taken by the district administration and the GTA to conduct the resurvey. Hopefully, this time, all affected families will be identified,” Kishor Pradhan, one of the victims of the GLOF and advisor to the Teesta Sanrakshan Mancha, based in Teesta Bazar, said.

According to an official of the Kalimpong 1 block administration, the team formed for the resurvey will visit the affected areas twice a week — on Mondays and Thursdays. It will take at least two months to prepare the final report. The team will visit Gailkhola, Najok Busty, Teesta Bazar, Krishnanagar, Deogram and some other areas during the survey.

“The team members conducted their first visit to Gafur Busty, located near Teesta Bazar, on Monday afternoon. We hope they will complete the task within the next couple of months,” Bishal Rai, the coordinator of the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM)’s Teesta Bazar area, said.

The BGPM helms the GTA.

On the intervening night of October 3 and 4, 2023, the glacial outburst from the South Lonark Lake in Sikkim led to catastrophic flooding. The disaster obliterated the Sikkim Urja Teesta 3 hydropower project, India’s second-largest dam, which was built at a cost of ₹13,965 crore.

The GLOF destroyed 33 bridges, damaged around 3,600 homes and 920 shops and impacted approximately 88,000 people in Sikkim.

In Kalimpong district of Bengal, the GLOF caused significant damage, with 483 houses fully destroyed and 76 partially affected.