‘NHPC won’t be allowed to operate till protection wall on Teesta is built’

A

Amitava Banerjee, MP,13 Oct 2023, Darjeeling: Anit Thapa, Chief Executive Member, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) on Friday stated that NHPC will not be allowed to operate till they build a protection wall on the slopes of the River Teesta.

A coordination committee has also been constituted with representatives of different departments to oversee rehabilitation and reconstruction work on the aftermath of the Teesta disaster.

A flash flood in the river Teesta in the wee hours of October 4 left a trail of destruction in Sikkim and the Hills of Bengal. Many people lost their lives, many are missing while thousands have become homeless.

“Post flood, houses along the Teesta have developed cracks. Owing to the dams, at times the water level rises and at times recedes. This has made the slopes unstable. We have told the NHPC that till they build protection walls on the river side along the highway, the NHPC will not be allowed to operate. They have assured us that they will conduct a survey and immediately take up riverbank protection work,” stated Thapa.

The District Disaster Management Authority, Kalimpong, convened a meeting on Friday, the aim of which was to streamline and augment the relief and rehabilitation work revolving around the disaster sparked by the flashflood.

Along with the district administration officials, police, the GTA top brass and Panchayat officials attended. Representatives of the National Highway 10, PWD and the NHPC were also present.

“It was a routine meeting where different issues were discussed pertaining to rehabilitation and reconstruction,” stated T Balasubramanian, District Magistrate, Kalimpong.

Fresh landslides have further stalled chances of an early reopening of National Highway 10, the link road to Sikkim. “It would take another two to three weeks for a temporary reopening of the NH10,” added the DM.

The Kalimpong-I and Lava Block are the worst affected on the Bengal side. There are seven rescue shelters in the Kalimpong-I block and 3 in the Lava block. About 855 persons, including 435 males and 420 females of 212 families are lodged in these rescue shelters. There are 175 children also.

“The response part is over with basic necessities like food, clothes and medicines already being provided. Now we are concentrating on restoring the infrastructure. Electricity has been restored. Potable drinking water is available. The PWD is working on restoring road connectivity on war footing. The next step will be reconstruction of infrastructure to make it like it was before the flash flood struck,” added an administrative source.

Meanwhile, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Chief Coordinator, G-20, Indian Presidency and former foreign secretary, Government of India, visited the flood-affected regions in Kalimpong district on Friday along with Anit Thapa.

Meanwhile, in Sikkim a total of 101 individuals were evacuated from Lachen and Pegong brought to Ringhim Helipad by IAF choppers on Friday. The number included 29 tourists, 30 locals and 42 labourers. A notice from the Government of Sikkim also stated that permits for Nathula Pass and Tsomgo Lake will be issued from October 17.

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post