A bag of rice selling at over Rs 3000, vegetable stocks depleting; people of flood hit Dzongu staring at scarcity of essentials

Sikkim Forest Minister and Dzongu MLA Pinsto Namgyal Lepcha along with State Relief Commissioner Namrata Thapa visited Dzongu today to take stock of things.

The tiny village of Dzongu in Mangan subdivision of North Sikkim district with a population of around 10,000, is staring at food and essentials shortage.

Located in the foothills of the Himalayas, Dzongu was hit by floods and landslides. Even after almost 20 days, Dzongu remains totally cut off from the rest of the state and the country.

Prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed in Dzongu village, as import of products from outside the state has been affected, with several items being sold at more than double the normal price.

The seriousness of the situation can be gauged from the fact that the carrying charge for one bag of rice has gone up to Rs 3000. Which means the bag must be selling for upwards of Rs 4000 and above.

Speaking to Northeast Live, Panchayat President said, “In Dzongu there are two bridges, one Sankhalang, which is totally cut off and another Phidang Bridge in Lower Dzongu. This bridge is hanging by a thread. It will get washed away any moment.”

“We Dzongu people are suffering because we are dealing with a lot of issues like price hike in ration and our crop has been destroyed”, he added.

Around 10,000 people (almost the total population of the village) have been affected by the disruption in road communication. While the General Reserve Engineering Force (GREF) is trying to rebuild the bridges at the earliest, the current situation has also affected the movement of the Army.

Sikkim Forest Minister and Dzongu MLA Pinsto Namgyal Lepcha along with State Relief Commissioner Namrata Thapa visited Dzongu today to take stock of things.

Though BRO (Border Roads Organisation) is currently focused on improving connectivity to the North Sikkim and Dzongu area, and has successfully erected a Bailey bridge with the assistance of army engineers, several other key bridges connecting the 10,000 people is yet to be restored.

From the very beginning, Project Swastik of BRO acted as the primary responder and immediately began restoration efforts by deploying a large workforce and heavy equipment to clear the slides. Despite facing challenges such as heavy rainfall and harsh weather conditions, BRO was able to successfully restore connectivity on the Mangang-Chungthang road by clearing Rafangkhola and Lanthakhola.

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