Incessant rain throws life out of gear in Hills

MP |  25 July 2017 |  Darjeeling,To add to the woes, incessant rainfall threw life out of gear in the Hills on Tuesday. 

Continuous rain coupled with cyclonic winds disrupted electricity, telephone and cellular services, cutting off communication since Monday night. 

Due to the disruption of electricity and cellular services there was widespread panic. With the clampdown on internet services by the district administration owing to the political strife, there were strong rumors that the government had clamped down on cellular services. 

There were rumors that owing to the agitators forcefully shutting down the hydel projects in the Hills, the government had cut down the electric supply to the Hills.

"Owing to the cyclonic winds and the rain, electricity has been disrupted. This has affected cellular services as well. 

However, agitators have been destroying fiber optic cables which have added to the woes. 

Work is on to restore both electricity and cellular connectivity," stated Joyoshi Das Gupta, District Magistrate, Darjeeling.

By evening, electricity was restored in certain areas of the town. Though connectivity issues continued to bug certain cellular services. 

The ongoing political strife including the indefinite bandh, that hit the 41-day mark, cast a shadow on restoration work. 

WBSEDCL sources stated that they were facing difficulty in restoring electricity as most of the skilled workers have left for the plains owing to the bandh.