Teesta flood victims demand protection wall, compensation

YOWAN MOTHAY, EOI, KALIMPONG, 14 JUNE 2024 : The Kalimpong district administration called an emergency meeting on Friday to deal with the Teesta disaster. The meeting was held at the Tourist Lodge in Chitre. Kalimpong Block-1 BDO Simrul Islam, Sabasad Sinora Namchu, Block-1 Panchayat Committee Chairman Mamata Gurung and other officials of PWD and NHPC were present in the meeting. 

After the first phase of the administrative meeting was held at the tourist lodge in Chitre, in the second phase, the officials held a meeting with the flood victims at the Community Hall in Teesta. In the meeting, the flood victims presented their grievances to the authorities. BDO Simrul Islam while informing about the initiatives being taken by the administration for the people of

Teesta said that the effects of the floods that occurred in the Teesta area on October 4 were still present. Hence the demand of Teesta flood victims was protection wall and compensation. 

“In the past, in the administrative meeting called by the Chief Minister in Kurseong, we had given compensation to 270 Teesta flood affected families,” he said. Besides, 104 Teesta flood affected families would get NHPC compensation soon after Gorkhaland Territorial Administration had inspected the area, he said. 

Moreover, he said that the Kalimpong District Collector has written to the PWD to raise the height of the road from below Teesta Bridge to Ravi Jhoda and the work would start soon. He also said that the families who had already received compensation from NHPC had been informed that they would not get compensation again through NHPC. 

In the afternoon the PWD officials, senior engineers, Kalimpong District Magistrate Balasubramaniam T and Kalimpong District Superintendent of Police Srihari Pandey inspected Teesta Bridge, Ravi Jhoda, Likhubhir and other flood affected areas. 

Balasubramaniam T informed ongoing works would be inspected and short-term and long-term actions would be planned to improve the.safety of the stretches of the NH-10.