Sikkim landslides: 1,678 tourists evacuated, 100 more remain stranded

Sikkim Chief Secretary R Telang on Monday chaired a highlevel meeting to review the disaster situation in Mangan district which has been affected by continuous rainfall landslides and widespread disruption in road connectivity reported PTIDuring the meeting key issues such as road blockages evacuation of stranded tourists and urgent restoration of essential services like power roads and telecommunications were discussed the Information and Public Relations Department said in a statementMeanwhile in a videoconference briefing Mangan District Magistrate Anant Jain apprised the Chief Secretary of the overall situation prevailing in the districtAccording to PTI Telang has instructed Mangan DM and Superintendent of Police Sonam Detchu Bhutia to ensure effective communication with residents particularly regarding the timing and routes for the evacuation of stranded touristsAltogether 1678 tourists in north Sikkims Lachung and Chungthang towns following raintriggered landslides were evacuated on Monday even as more than 100 others are continue to remain stranded in Lachen DGP Akshay Sachdeva saidThe Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority SSDMA and the Land Revenue and Disaster Management Department have officially declared the damage caused by incessant rainfall in Mangan district from May 28 onwards a disaster under Section 222b of the Disaster Management Act 2005During the meeting Border Roads Organisation BRO officials provided an update on the extent of road damage and ongoing restoration efforts The BRO was directed to deploy sufficient manpower and machinery to expedite the reopening of strategic routes the statement saidThe Chief Secretary directed the concerned officials to make immediate provisions for dispatching a sortie on Tuesday to facilitate emergency access and deploy a National Disaster Response Force NDRF team equipped with satellite phones and necessary gadgets from Siliguri to Chhaten to support rescue and relief operationsHowever three army personnel died and six soldiers went missing after a landslide hit a military camp at Chhaten in Sikkim a defence official said on MondayThe landslide which occurred at 7 PM on Sunday near Lachen town in Mangan district was triggered by heavy rainfall in the area he saidLikewise teams from BSNL and the Power Department will be mobilised from Pakyong to Lachen with essential equipment and backup batteries to restore disrupted services the statement saidThe Home Department has been tasked with organising and dispatching field teams while Gangtok District Magistrate Tushar Nikhare has been instructed to provide continuous situation updates and ensure coordination between field teams and the state control room along with the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority SSDMATelang further stressed that immediate priority must be given to restoring power both conventional and mobile and telecommunication services including the use of satellitebased solutions in inaccessible areasIf full connectivity cannot be restored immediately the departments concerned are directed to explore foot access routes and evaluate helipad operations depending on weather conditionsThe Chief Secretary also underlined the importance of interdepartmental coordination to consolidate fieldlevel inputs and take a unified approach to relief operations the statement saidMeanwhile coordination with the Indian Army was also suggested for logistics support and situational updatesEmphasising the need for groundlevel information the Chief Secretary urged the departments to activate survey and feedback mechanisms to assess current conditions including the status of road power and mobile network infrastructureThe immediate objective remains the restoration of connectivity and the safe evacuation of those stranded the statement saidOfficials from the Border Roads Organisation BRO National Disaster Response Force NDRF and 27 Mountain Division officers from the Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority representatives of the Travel Agents Association of Sikkim and various line departments attended the meetingIn light of the current disaster situation the state government urged the residents of Mangan district and neighbouring areas to remain vigilant and cooperate with local authoritiesThe state administration is closely monitoring the situation 247 and taking immediate measures to mitigate the impact the statement addedWith inputs from PTI