Sikkim battered by heavy rainfall, landslides: Govt allays fears of foodgrains scarcity, price rise of essentials

Expressing concern over the fact that roads have been blocked at several places especially those leading to most affected Northern and Southern parts of the Himalayan state, CM Tamang maintained

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang today informed that the government is closely monitoring the situation that might lead to price hike of essentials including foodgrains owing to heavy rains leading to landslides which has snapped road communication adversely.

This the Sikkim Chief Minister said while taking stock of the situation at the Majuwa village in Yangang, South Sikkim, where 3 persons had lost their lives due to landslides.

Expressing concern over the fact that roads have been blocked at several places especially those leading to most affected Northern and Southern parts of the Himalayan state, CM Tamang maintained that the issue has already been raised with the Centre.

Tamang said, “Unfortunate incidents have taken place where 6 persons lost their lives in Mangan district and 3 died in Majua also, besides several others were also injured. In Mangan at least 40 houses have been damaged, in Yangyang 10 houses have been damaged. Nearly 67 families have shifted to relief camps.

The day when all these happened I was in Arunachal Pradesh, the Union Home Minister (Amit Shah) was also there. I briefed him about what has happened in Sikkim, I already conveyed him about the losses.
The DG of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is also here to assess the conditions of the roads. The roads are blocked (due to landslides). Since heavy vehicles are unable the cost (of essentials) is likely to go up, because if vehicles take alternate routes there will be extra costing. Thus costs of foodgrains will increase. So we are taking this seriously.”

However, the Sikkim Chief Minister maintained that there is adequate stock of foodgrains in the state.

He said, “There are no worries about the availability of foodgrains. For a month, there is enough stock in our godowns.”

When asked about the looming threat of the swelling Teesta river to the lone Natonal Highway-10 connecting Sikkim with the rest of the nation, CM Tamang said, “The Centre is also very much serious about this highway. The highway is an old one and it is built on the river bed. The Centre as well as the state government is worried about the National Highway since it is near to the Teesta. This highway is not only for the Sikkim state, but defence forces will also have to use this strategic highway and is directly linked to national security. THis is a very serious matter.”

Asked as to how prepared is the government to deal with the rising incidents of natural disasters in the state, the Sikkim Chief Minister said, “We are fully prepared for that. We have disbursed adequate funds to the respective DIstrict Collectors. We will provide a compensation of Rs 5 lakhs to the kin of those deceased. We will fully help those families whose houses were damaged. We will rebuild the houses which have been completely damaged. Those who are facing difficulties to find a suitable plot of land to live in (after the disaster), we will allot them land.”

The Sikkim Chief Minister’s response was also sought on the status of tourists stranded at Lachung in North Sikkim .

In his response, CM Tamang said, “They are safe, we are fully monitoring their conditions. They are in hotels. We will rescue them by choppers when the weather turns good. We are fully supporting them in terms of availability of foodgrains.”

On Friday, Sikkim Chief Secretary VB Pathak had informed that 9 people have lost their lives in rain related incidents since Tuesday.

Read also: Rain fury in Sikkim: Over 1200 tourists stranded in Lachung, IAF choppers pressed into service, 9 dead in 3 days

Watch also: Sikkim rain fury: CM PS Tamang visits affected areas in Yangang sub-division

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