CM push for hill survey

Mamata Banerjee at Tingling Primary school on Thursday. (Suman Tamang)

Vivek Chhetri and Rajeev Ravidas, TT, July 2: Mamata Banerjee today said she would write to the Centre requesting the Geological Survey of India to conduct a survey of the Darjeeling hills. The Union minister of state for home, Kiren Rijiju, said the Centre would send an inter-ministerial team to the hills to assess the damage caused by the recent landslides.

Mamata reached Tingling around 3pm today after a four-hour journey. She had to take a detour through the Rohini-Ghoom-Sukhiapokhri route as a part of the Mirik-Siliguri road caved in at Gayabari, 20km from Tingling, this morning.

She visited Tingling Primary School, a shelter for survivors. Looking at Limbu Gaon from a distance she said: "I will request the Centre to send a GSI team to conduct a survey here. I think after the Sikkim earthquake, some survey was conducted but we need to do a survey of the Darjeeling hills as it is a young mountain."
From Limbu Gaon, 13 bodies have been recovered so far.

Mamata said she would write to the Centre for funds for the development of areas affected by the slides.

According to reports of the Darjeeling district administration, 1,876 people have been affected across the hills, 98 houses have been fully damaged and 247 partially.

Mamata said 29 bodies - 22 from Mirik block, six from Kalimpong and one from Sukhiapokhri - have been recovered. "There are 10 missing, six from the Mirik area and four from Kalimpong," she said.

But, according to hospital and other sources, 28 bodies have been recovered so far.

Minister Rijiju, who reached Mirik yesterday, said: "The team will comprise officials of the home ministry, agriculture ministry, road transport, health and rural development. We will send it soon. Now, we are focusing on rescue."