GTA assesses landslide damage, Gurung on spot visit

EOI, KOLKATA, 9 Jul 2015: While Gorkhaland Territorial Administration chief executive Bimal Gurung is out visiting all the areas affected by the landslides in Kalimpong, including Todhay Tangta, Lava Lingsey, Gitadabing and Khola Khan, GTA principal secretary Dr Ravi Inder Singh on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting to review the status of relief and rescue operations in areas affected by the recent landslide.

This was stated in a Press release issued by the GTA in Darjeeling during the day. 

The principal secretary briefed Gurung over the phone on the extent of destruction, including the damage to infrastructure such as roads, schools, colleges, government buildings and power lines.  In the meeting an overview of the status of relief operations and steps taken to ensure supply of essential commodities including food and drinking water was discussed. GTA is currently assessing the damage caused and shall be sending their report to the West Bengal government and the Centre.

Gurung instructed top officials of the GTA to continue to work closely with the affected area to ensure that there was no bottleneck in relief and rescue work. He also emphasized on the need to document the lessons from this landslide.  The meeting was attended by all GTA Executive Directors, Engineers and other top officials along with Darjeeling MLA Trilok Dewan.

In the meeting a list of roads restored by the GTA was also presented. In the last one week GTA workers had been working round the clock and had restored nearly about 40 roads in council area. Among these are important roads like the Takdha – Teesta Valley Road, Darjeeling – Bijanbari Road, St Andrues Road in Darjeeling municipality area, Gorabari – Balason Road and Relli Road.