Gangtok: Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Friday said that the state has witnessed damages worth thousands of crores of rupees after the flash flood. At least 22 people, including seven army jawans, have been killed while 114 others remained missing and 13 bridges in Sikkim were completely damaged after a cloudburst over Lhonak Lake in North Sikkim in the early hours of Wednesday triggered the flash flood.
Around 2,500 people have been rescued from the spot while at least 3,000 tourists were stranded till Thursday. Four people died in the Mangan district of Sikkim while 17 people are missing whereas five people died in the Gangtok district and 22 are missing. No deaths were reported in Namchi district.
Among the recovered bodies, five have been rushed to Malbazar SS Hospital, three to Maynaguri Rural Hospital, seven to Jalpaiguri Super Specialty Hospital, and four to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital. Besides this, at least 7644 people have been shifted to rehabilitation centers.
National Highway No. 10 is completely damaged due to the disaster, small passenger and small cargo vehicles are being sent from Siliguri to Sevoke and Rangpo to Gangtok. The tourists are being sent from Siliguri via Darjeeling to the Singla, Jorethang, and Namchi routes to reach the western district of Sikkim.
Golay visited flood-affected areas in Rangpo town in Pakyong district and interacted with the displaced people lodged in relief camps. He assured them of all possible assistance. "There have been damages worth thousands of crores of rupees. We cannot give exact details about damages, it will be revealed once a committee is formed and it completes its analysis. Our first priority is to save those who are stranded and provide them immediate relief," Golay said.
"Road connectivity between districts has been cut off and bridges have been washed away. Communication in North Sikkim has been severely affected," the CM said. Tamang said around 25,000 people have been hit by the natural calamity. The CM said that he has spoken with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, President Droupadi Murmu and other Union ministers and discussed the situation.
"They have assured me that all necessary assistance will be provided to the state," he said. Meanwhile, Shah has approved the release of Rs 44.8 crore as an advance amount from the central share of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to Sikkim to provide relief to the affected people. Following a directive from Shah, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has formed an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT), which will visit the affected areas of Sikkim soon to make an assessment of the damage caused due to a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF), cloudburst and flash flood, according to an official statement.
The home minister has approved the release of both the instalments of the SDRF's central share to Sikkim, amounting to Rs 44.8 crore, in advance for 2023-24 to help the northeastern state provide relief to the affected people, the statement said. The Centre has assured the Sikkim government of all possible help. The central government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is standing shoulder to shoulder with Sikkim, the statement said.
Based on the IMCT's assessment, additional central assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) will be approved for Sikkim, in accordance with the laid-down procedure. The flash flood in the Teesta River, triggered by the cloudburst in Lhonak Lake, caused accumulation of huge quantity of water, which turned towards Chungthang Dam destroying the power infrastructure before moving downstream in spate flooding towns and villages. Search for the missing people is underway, while the administration and the defence forces are making efforts to escort stranded tourists to safety. (With agency Inputs)
