PM in Sikkim

PM in Sikkim, visit quake-hit areas; announces Rs1,000 crore


IANS



Gangtok: September 29

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday arrived in Sikkim on a daylong visit to assess and review the damage caused by the Sep 18 earthquake.

Prime Minister Singh announced a Rs1,000 crore grant to Sikkim to tide over the devastation caused by the September 18 earthquake that killed 80 people and caused large scale damage to private property.

“The Prime Minister announced a Rs1,000 crore package to Sikkim and also assured all help and cooperation from the central government to fight the tragedy and devastation caused by the earthquake,” a Sikkim government spokesperson said.

Manmohan Singh made the announcement during a meeting with Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling at capital Gangtok.

Before that Singh made an aerial survey of the worst-affected north Sikkim areas.

“On arrival in Gangtok after making the aerial survey, the prime minister visited the injured at the Sikkim Manipal Hospital,” a government spokesperson said.

The prime minister was expected to announce a financial package which he did, for Sikkim to tide over the devastation caused by the 6.8-magnitude tremor that rocked the region Sep 18 and killed close to 80 people and left about 350 injured in the state

Landslides block Sikkim quake relief

By Suvojit Bagchi BBC Bengali, Tung, North Sikkim

Landslides have presented rescue workers in Sikkim with huge practical and logistical problems

Dogru Singh, a middle-aged explosives expert with the Indian army, has been much in demand in the northern Indian state of Sikkim over the last week.

After a quake last Sunday, which killed at least 100 people in the state, Sikkim has been hit by a spate of landslides and this has been exacerbated by relentless monsoon rain.
And this is where Mr Singh becomes important because his aptitude with explosives - from his work with the the Corps of Engineers and the Border Roads Organization (BRO) - is every bit as sharp as his finely-chiselled moustache.
There has been no shortage of work for him here in Sikkim.
As he watches a Caterpillar fail to remove boulders blocking a road, he nonchalantly hops on top of the nearest large rock with a coil of green wire in his hand.
He ties the wire around white explosive sticks, covers it with mud and within half-an-hour triggers three huge explosions.
As the boulders start rolling down the mountain, local boys run away, fearing more landslides. Mr Singh is phlegmatic and tells everyone to keep calm as he turns on the engine of his pick-up truck.
"I have been doing this for decades, but this is difficult because incessant rain is making large amounts of mud and boulders come loose," he said.
'Collapsed mountains'
The landslips are getting in the way of the army, civil administration and aid agencies who are working round the clock to rescue stranded villagers and provide relief.

Buildings throughout Sikkim have been extensively damaged

On my way to the town of Tung from Mangan, the epicentre of the quake, I witnessed several landslides myself.
In many cases it appeared as if the mountain itself had slithered onto the road carrying giant boulders, and in some cases, the remnants of flimsy wooden houses amid the trees and mud.
One local resident, Gopal Acharya, reflects the views of many when he alleges that the landslides may as well have been "caused by the government".
"They approved multiple hydropower projects on the main river Teesta in Sikkim," he said.
"The power companies have dug huge tunnels inside the mountains to make water flow at a high speed to generate electricity."
Mr Acharya believes these tunnels had "weakened" the mountain.
"Mountains were blasted using explosives to generate electricity and these serial blasts cracked the mountains," he asserts.
And there are those who argue that Indian fears over Chinese incursions into Sikkim - Beijing only recognised the state to be part of India in 2003 - led to the construction of several roads for military vehicles which have further weakened the mountains.
"Very sharp cuts are made in the mountains to widen the existing roads and that may have resulted in landslides," said an employee of the state government's mines and geology department.

Many road workers had to walk for days before reaching a relief camp

However retired Sikkim Power Secretary Pema Wangchen Bhutia believes such theories are without foundation.
"These are low intensity blasts inside the mountains - there is no question of such blasts triggering cracks that shake the boulders loose," he said.
Sikkim's ex-director of mines and geology, T Tashi, has also conducted a survey of one hydropower site on the river Teesta and concluded that "the possibility of blast-driven landslides" cannot be ruled out.
There are dozens of big and small hydropower projects in Sikkim and several people's movements have been set up to resist such activity.
Local activists feel that the latest earthquake will lead to the formation of even more campaigns, making it difficult for the state government to approve more power projects and big dams.
Perilous journey
Chaitan Thukdar is a 25-year-old worker on just one such project, who is now nursing a broken toe in a relief camp after crawling, creeping and climbing through devastated terrain after the earthquake.

In many cases large boulders can only be moved by explosives

There are several thousand men like Mr Thukdar who work as temporary workers in Sikkim's thriving energy and road building industry.
Many of them had to walk for at least four days from upper Sikkim to reach the safety of the camps.
"The locals feel that the roads we constructed caused the landslides and they have asked us to leave," said Mr Thukdar.
Walking from the remote area of Damang, close to the Indo-China border, he and his co-workers were confronted with a roadless country with little food or medical facilities.
They had to move boulders on roads, walk up and down mountain slopes and leave their more aged colleagues behind in order to reach the first accessible relief camp.
Mr Thukdar's fellow workers said that they relied heavily on the Indian army, who provided them with ropes to cross narrow ridges.
Road workers say that the entire area above Tung, stretching up to the Tibetan plateau, will take months to repair.
The Sikkim earthquake of 2011 is not something that will be quickly forgotten.

SIKKIM Earthquake update as at 1 P.M. Today

 The Number of deaths as reported by the State Government of Sikkim is 57. This may increase further as rescue and release teams reach further into interior areas. The break-up of death toll is as follows- East District- 12, North District-40, West District -04 and South District-01. 58 persons are injured.

 A total of 700 houses have reportedly collapsed. About 500 houses have been reported to be substantially damaged. In other areas also, extensive damage to houses has been reported. The State Govt will be able to give the exact the number after ascertaining the damage through physical verification.

 About 400 foreigners are reported to be stranded in North Sikkim.

 The State Govt. has opened relief camps in each district. 2700 and 550 people have been provided shelter into Army camps and ITBP camp (Pengong) respectively.

 A total of 5500 Army personnel have been deployed for rescue and relief operation. 60 villages have been physically covered by the team of Army Jawans in their search and rescue operation. 2 teams of 30 Army Jawans each with RMOs are located in Mangan and Chungthan.

 30 sorties have been done by helicopters provided by the Ministry of Defence for airdropping and reconnaissance.

 Food packets have been airdropped in the northern part of North district at a place called Myang. Another supply of food packets is being dropped today.

 An aerial survey of affected was carried out by officers of the State Govt and NDRF on 20th Sept, 2011 to identify and list the affected villages.

 The road between Mangan and Chungthan (16 landslides ) has been opened upto 12 kilometer further north of Mangan.

 The Border Roads Organization and Army Engineers are working for restoration of different roads.

 Sikkim has 15 sub-stations of 66 kilowatt, out of which 6 were down. 3 however, have been restored.

 All the transmission lines and sub-stations of power grid have been restored.

 Power supply is normal except in the northern part of North district.

 Landline and microwave links are operational. The present status of mobile towers/BTS is as follows, Vodafone-53(167), Reliance-12(54), Idea-08(42), Aircell-21(55), Airtel-15(69), BSNL-24(122).

 Sufficient stock of essential commodities such as foodgrains, petroleum products and LPG are available in the State.

 1000 nos. of blankets, 400 nos. of extendable tents and 200 nos. of arctic tents are being dispatched to the affected areas.

 The Centre has constituted an inter-Ministerial team to visit the affected places in the State and give its recommendations for assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund.


*****


OK/KS
(Release ID :76134)

Earthquake Update in Sikkim

Earthquake Update in Sikkim and Elsewhere on 19 Sept, 2011 at 4.00 pm


The latest human casualties reported (by Governor) in Sikkim are 22, in addition to death of 2 Army personnel, 6 persons are reported to be still trapped. As indicated by Chief Secretary, Sikkim, 75 people have been hospitalized while 5 have been discharged. Several hundred public buildings and large number of private houses have suffered damage, The Secretariat building at Gangtok is also badly affected. Govt of Sikkim have announced ex-gratia compensation of 5 lakh for each death, 50,000 for major injury and 30,000 for cases of minor injury.

2. The National Highway-31A has suffered landslides at over 21 places, over a cumulative length of 700 meters. It was reported by Director General, Border Road Organization and Chief Secretary, Sikkim that the road could be opened for traffic by 4.00 p.m. today. The NDRF personnel who are stranded at Bagdogra will be able to reach Sikkim once the road is opened for traffic. (At 1.30 p.m. information has been received that NH-31A is functional till Singtam, 29 km short of Gangtok).

3. The damage of road from Gangtok to Nathula (61 kms) is yet to be assessed fully. The first 24 kms of road has been surveyed so far showing 12 landslides and severe damage to the road-formation over a cumulative stretch of 90 meters. Restoration of this road is unlikely to take place immediately, as indicated by DG, BRO.

4. The third important road in Sikkim which is affected badly is North Sikkim Highway from Gangtok to Chungthang (95 kms). About 400 meters of road-formation has been damaged due to 16 landslides. Restoration of this road too is likely to take some time.

5. The loss of life reported in Darjeeling area by Chief Secretary, West Bengal is 5. The Darjeeling-Siliguri road has been blocked by 2 landslides, Repair work has started and the road is likely to be opened for traffic today itself.

6. In Bihar, 2 persons are reported to have died; one due to earthquake related stampede (Darbhanga) and the other due to collapse of wall (Nalanda). The situation does not appear to be alarming.

7. As far as the Central agencies are concerned, restoration work of communication has started with full swing. The Border Road Organization, which has lost one Junior Engineer, is at work with maximum manpower and equipment to clear the landslides and restore communication at various points at NH-31A. Restoration work of Siliguri-Darjeeling road is going to be completed by 3.00 p.m. today. 120 columns of Army including 10 engineering columns have also been deployed in restoration/relief work.

8. Power situation has improved in the meanwhile. All the major power generating stations i.e. Teesta Stage-V, Rangit, Chukha, and Ramman with a total capacity of 845 MW have been made operational. 220 KV lines have been fully restored. Power supply (20 MW) to Gangtok is available. However, 66 KV line from Gangtok to Tadong is yet to be restored, which is to be done by the State Electricity Board. M/o Power has given instructions to the Power Grid personnel to help the State Electricity Board in the restoration work.

9. As regard telecommunication network, landlines have been fully restored. Out of 489 mobile towers / BTSs, 273 are functioning. The damage to the remaining 216 mobile towers is reported to be to the extent of 10-100%. M/o Telecommunication has indicated requirement over 20,000 litres of diesel daily to keep the BTSs operational. M/o Petroleum has been directed to make diesel available to the service providers on priority basis.

10. A team of 9 doctors and 10 paramedics despatched from Delhi by M/o Health & Family Welfare has already reached Siliguri. The team will proceed to Gangtok once the Siliguri-Darjeeling road is restored. Chief Secretary, Sikkim has, however, informed that there is no urgency of dispatching medical teams.

11. Nine NDRF teams were despatched yesterday. They have already reached Bagdogra over the night. They will proceed to Gangtok as soon as the road communication is restored. Chief Secretaries of West Bengal and Sikkim have been advised to take particular care to regulate and prioritize the movement of traffic on the road to avoid blockade due to sudden rush of vehicles, and to ensure that essential manpower, equipment and supplies required for relief and rescue work is able to get through first.

12. Although Chief Secretary, Sikkim has informed that there is no shortage of essential commodities, which is also corroborated by Secretary, M/o Food and Consumer Affairs, and M/o Petroleum & Natural Gas, instructions have been issued to preposition enough quantity of essential commodities particularly diesel and LPG, and despatch the same to affected areas, as soon as the roads are opened. Kerosene stock is available in Sikkim for 36 days, while availability of LPG is limited to 4 days.

13. Chief Secretary, Sikkim has been advised to open community shelters and feeding centres in inaccessible pockets. At present, 1500 persons have taken shelter in Army camps and 10 langars are being run to feed them. Chief Secretary, West Bengal has been advised to keep enough quantity of packets of dry foods, matchboxes, candle and medicine, ready at Siliguri for air-dropping. Presently, air dropping of food packets is not possible because of adverse weather conditions/heavy rains in and around Gangtok, But Defence Secretary has been advised to drop some packets quickly, weather permitting. The weather in Sikkim continues to be inclement. As a result, sorties by helicopters have not been possible so far today. However, helicopters, including an MN-17 for air-dropping of supplies, are in readiness.

14. Chief Secretary, Sikkim has been asked to designate one officer who would coordinate with the media. Similarly, media briefing/releases will be coordinated in Delhi by Ministry of Home Affairs.

15. The process to assess the damage due to earthquake is continuing. Another meeting of National Crisis Management Committee under the Chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary is scheduled to be held at 7.30 p.m. today.


*****


OK/RS/SKS
(Release ID :76086)