Sikkim: Army resumes relief work, weather improves

Army made 12 helicopter sorties on Tuesday to the inaccessible parts of Chungthang, Lachen and Lachung in Sikkim.

Gangtok: Army made 12 helicopter sorties
on Tuesday to the inaccessible parts of Chungthang, Lachen and
Lachung in Sikkim as weather improved aiding resumption of
relief work in quake-ravaged areas of North district.

No sorties could be made yesterday due to inclement
weather, but today the army choppers airdropped 9,408 kg of
relief to the region as the rains stopped, Army spokesman Col
Ravi Patil said.

Official sources said there was no rise in the quake toll
figure of 93 in the past two days.

In North district, Army authorities evacuated 100
stranded people from various interior places to Mangan and
altogether 106 people from Lachung, Lachen and Chungthang to
Gangtok, Patil said.

At least 400 persons have been evacuated by air and 7,900
people by road from the quake-hit areas in North district,
army sources said.

A team of six scientists, police and doctors were taken
to Chungthang while equipment like generators and water
purification tools were also airlifted to the affected areas.

In Mangan, the headquarters of North district, Governor B
P Singh visited the 140-year-old Ringhim Monastery which had
suffered extensive damage during the earthquake, after
reaching the spot by helicopter.

The Governor assured the monks of all assistance in
rebuilding the structure and advised the monastery management
to immediately fence the premises for the necessary security.

Singh also visited the district hospital and met those
who received injuries during the quake.

The Governor also visited the relief camp run by the
state administration which provides food and shelter to the
affected.

He later told reporters that each control room in the
district headquarters is being monitored by a minister to
secure better co-ordination.

Meanwhile, a Central team led by Joint Secretary,
Ministry of Home Affairs, Shambhu Singh, reached Gangtok today
from New Delhi to assess the sutuation, official sources said.

A total of 10 buildings in Gangtok and Singtam have been
identified for demolition as they posed threat to neighbouring
houses, they said.

They said 2,542 houses were destroyed and another 6,765
damaged in the quake in West district where 181 families are
given shelter in 20 relief camps spread across four blocks.

As per a preliminary report prepared by the North
district administration, the quake destroyed 432 buildings and
643 kutcha houses and damaged 2,965 buildings and 5,398 kutcha
houses.

PTI

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