Kalimpong: At least 3 houses damaged in heavy rainfall

Amitava Banerjee, MP, 12 June 2023, Darjeeling: Heavy rainfall in the wee hours of Monday in Kalimpong district has resulted in three houses being damaged in Rambi Bazar on the National Highway 10. 

Local residents state that a flash-flood like situation was created owing to water rushing down the slopes of the under construction station yard of the Sivok-Rangpo railway line into the village. 

They have demanded that all construction work be stopped till adequate compensation and rehabilitation is carried out. The incident occurred at around 1pm on Monday. Heavy rains triggered a flash flood like situation with water and debris entering the Rambi village from the under construction station yard owing to the lack of drains. It washed away the foundation of the house of Karna Bahadur Chettri; buried parts of Devendra Khati’s house and created cracks in the walls of Gita Shilal’s house. 

The residents had a narrow escape. 

“We were asleep when the flash flood occurred,” stated 90-year-old Chettri, who resides with his grandson. Devendra Khati and his wife had a narrow escape as parts of his house, a few feet away from where the couple were sleeping were buried by the debris. Everything in his house was destroyed. 

“Local residents have been complaining time and again ever since construction work started but they do not pay any heed. For them human life has no value. Owing to heavy machinery and tunneling work all the houses in the villages have cracked. Rain water flows down with force along with debris as there is no drainage system. We will stop all further construction work till adequately compensated and rehabilitated,” stated Rajen Mukhia, local resident. 

There are around 45 houses in the village. The company in charge of construction of the station yard stated that they had put up a partition wall but the water seeped in. “There was 120mm of rains suddenly. We will build a concrete drain so that water does not enter the village,” stated Arun Baran Patra, GM of the company. 

“The affected have been shifted as their houses need repairing. Relief materials have been distributed by block officials,” stated R Vimala, District Magistrate, Kalimpong. 

The foundation stone of the Sivok-Rangpo railway project, to connect Sikkim to the Railway map of the country, was laid by Mamata Banerjee when she was the Railway Minister in 2009. The work started accordingly, but was interrupted several times due to landslides. 

Courtesy & source: Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/kalimpong-at-least-3-houses-damaged-in-heavy-rainfall-521866