Efforts on to rescue all tourists stranded in north Sikkim Government to consider restricting tourist permits till weather improves: Golay

DEEPAK SHARMA,PRAKASH ADHIKARI and SUJAL PRADHAN, EOI, MANGAN / GANGTOK, JUNE 17, 2023 : Efforts are onto rescue about 2,475 tourists, including 60 students from Namchi Government College, stranded at Lachen and Lachung in north Sikkim because of heavy rains and landslides. 

A Press release issued by PRO Defence Lieutenant Colonel Mahindra Rawat said, however, about 3,500 tourists were stranded due to landslides and the washing away of  a bridge near  Chungthang.  

Till 3p.m. on Saturday, over 2,000 tourists were rescued. Troops of Trishakti Corps of the army and personnel of Border Roads Organization worked overnight in heavy rains and inclement weather to create a temporary crossing over the area of the flash flood for the rescue of tourists. 

Tourists were extended help to cross over the river and were provided with hot meals, accommodation in tents and medical support. The District Administration, led by Mangan District Magistrate Hem Kumar Chhetri and Superintendent of Police Tshering Gyatso Bhutia, initiated  the process of evacuating the tourists from the affected areas at 11a.m. on Saturday. Personnel of the police, Indo Tibet Border Police and travel agencies were also deployed for the evacuation. 

About 19 buses and 70 small vehicles wer epressed into service for the relief. Till 4 p.m.  three buses and two light vehicles carrying 123 passengers and tourists had started moving towards Gangtok and more buses and vehicles were enroute to help in the process. The army and the police had setup two log bridges over the landslide zones. 

According to available reports, there were other landslides on the road from Singtam to Mangan via Dikchu. 

In fact, the entire road connecting Singtam –Dikchu– Rangrang –Mangan –Chungthang witnessed a number of landslides and washing away of the road. 

The damage to the roads started around 6.15 p.m. on Thursday on either side of Rangrang, where the road was blocked on either side of the town due to landslides. BRO Project Swastik personnel with their heavy earth moving equipment braved heavy rain and the danger of falling slides and boulders and opened the road to traffic by about 10 p.m. on Thursday. However, as heavy rains continued throughout the night and the early morning of Friday, there was a landslide close to Singtam and another landslide near Rangrang. 

These consisted mainly of loose stones and boulders that slided from the mountain tops and covered the entire road, making it impassable for traffic. Falling stones could have damaged    passing vehicles, too. 

When officers and men of the BRO were working on war footing to clear the landslides and roadblocks, a flash flood on the road from Mangan to Chungthang washed away a portion of the road and a small bridge along with it. The BRO has advised all tourists and local people to avoid the roués of recurrent landslides during heavy rains and not to form queues of vehicles at road blocks to prevent injuries. 

Following the incident of tourists getting stranded in north Sikkim during the monsoon rain, questions have started being asked if it was justified to issue so many tourist permits when the weather was inclement. On being asked about tourist permits being issued to restricted areas of Sikkim frequently affected by landslides,  

Chief Minister Prem Singh Golay on Saturday assured: “Seeing the monsoon situation, we will deliberate over issuing permits or restricting them till the weather gets better. We will decide on the permits a bit later. 

The monsoon season has begun in Sikkim, Talking specifically about north Sikkim, Lachen and Lachung villages are connected till Chungthang town. 

Thereafter there is another landslide in Pegong where our administration is working to ensure that connectivity is restored. 

Even students of Namchi College are stranded in Lachung village, they are also being rescued. We are working to ensure that they are being taken to their destinations safely from the areas affected by landslides. 

The Chief Minister assured that Sikkim was well-prepared for the monsoon rains and its after effects such as landslides, flash floods and disruptions in connectivity. “Wherever the natural calamities have hit, our district administrations are working to ensure that citizens and tourists do not face any problems. 

The district administrations and different departments are prepared when the monsoon comes and wherever problems are noticed the administration is working to solve the problem. 

On the death of a 90-year-old cattle herder in Rimbi on Friday, the Chief Minister expressed his condolences, saying: “I have consulted on the issue with the District Magistrate in Geyzing and whatever support is needed from the family of the deceased the government will help.”