General Manoj Pande, the chief of army staff, visited the areas affected by the flood in Sikkim and called on chief minister P.S. Tamang in Gangtok on Monday to review the situation in the Himalayan state that shares the border with China.
The flash flood in the Teesta last week damaged a number of defence installations in Sikkim and claimed the lives of several army personnel. On one hand, the army is carrying out relief and rescue operations for civilians in the state. On the other hand, it is continuing with searches to trace the missing personnel and the ammunition and explosives that were swept away by the raging Teesta river.
“The chief of army staff (COAS) met the chief minister and promised all support from the army in the ongoing relief operations. The chief minister thanked him for the effective civil-military coordination in dealing with the situation. The COAS also interacted with soldiers deployed in forward areas of Sikkim and commended them for their efforts in service of the nation and their role in saving the lives of civilians,” said a source.
Gen. Pande was accompanied by Lt Gen. R.P. Kalita, the GOC-in-C of Eastern Command, Lt Gen. V.P.S. Kaushik, the GOC of 33 Corps based in Sukna, on the outskirts of Siliguri, and Maj Gen. Amit Kabthiyal, the GOC of the 17th Mountain Division stationed in Sikkim.
In Sikkim, the death toll increased to 36 on Monday, while 80 people were still reported missing. In Jalpaiguri district of Bengal, four more bodies were found on Monday. With these, 62 bodies have been recovered in the districts of Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar so far.
In Sikkim, government sources said, over 87,000 people were affected by the deluge. As of now, 25 relief camps are running in the state and around 5,200 people have taken shelter there.
Sikkim chief secretary V.B. Pathak on Monday attended a virtual meeting of the national crisis management committee chaired by cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba. Officials of different ministries, defence forces and the state government also attended the meeting.
Pathak said at the meeting that the flash flood had completely destroyed the army ammunition depot at Munshithang near Chungthang in Mangan district.
“That is why the ammunition and explosives are being found in the Teesta basin. To prevent any accident, people have been warned to notify the local police if any ammunition or explosives are seen. The army is carrying out controlled detonations wherever necessary,” said a source.
The state government, Pathak said, is making temporary arrangements to connect areas like Dzongu and Chungthang which have been totally cut off.
“The state also requested the ISRO for surveillance over the South Lhonak and Shako Chu lakes for any activity to avert further catastrophe,” the source added.
The inter-ministerial central team also visited some of the affected areas of Sikkim on Monday.
The team is visiting the state to assess the extent of the damage caused by the flood and will make financial recommendations to the Union home ministry for short-term and long-term restorations, said a source.
GTA chief executive Anit Thapa visited a number of affected areas in Kalimpong and interacted with the residents. Thapa made arrangements for students residing in the flood-affected areas of Teesta Bazar, Rangpo and Melli to attend their schools.
Rajesh Chouhan, the deputy chairman of the GTA who is also in charge of primary school education of the hill body, said around 150 students were affected by the disaster. They are students of Teesta Junior Basic School, Melli Primary School, Tarkhola Forest Village Primary School and Dewan Primary School.
With the halt in traffic on NH10 in Bengal, transport has been arranged for students to go to school. Uniforms and stationeries will also be provided to them,” Chouhan said.
Additional reporting by Bireswar Banerjee in Siliguri
