North Bengal as rain continues , Tourists in difficulties in Sikkim
Tourists in difficulties in Sikkim
Gangtok: Incessant rain since last week disrupted life in Sikkim as landslides affected piped water supply in the capital and its neighbourhood, and damaged private properties and roads leading to various parts of North Sikkim district. But 200 tourists were trapped, officials said Wednesday.
The rains are continuing and the Meteorological Department has issued a red alert in the Himalayan state and Bihar from East Uttar Pradesh to Arunachal Pradesh, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and West Bengal due to an upper air trough extending from East Uttar Pradesh to Arunachal Pradesh. A warning of heavy to very heavy rain has been issued.
Heavy rains were also reported in neighboring North Bengal and Bhutan.
Water supply in Greater Gangtok has been affected by a major landslide at Ratey Chu, which has damaged pipelines, officials here said.
Officials of the Public Health Engineering Department said that work to restore water supply is underway but may take another two days to complete.
Authorities have issued an advisory to the people of Greater Gangtok to use water wisely until restoration is complete.
Heavy rains damaged NH-10 which connects India-Bangladesh border to Gangtok via Siliguri between Sangtam in eastern district and Rangpo in Pakyong district between 19 and 20 miles connecting Sikkim to West Bengal. One lane of the main highway has been blocked.
Work is going on in the area on a priority basis for debris removal. But heavy rains have made the stretch of the highway unpredictable as more landslides could happen at any time and officials have asked commuters to take alternate routes through Pakyong and central Pandam to reach the West Bengal border.
Officials said tourist vehicle permits in North Sikkim, which has a number of tourist spots, have been canceled by the administration due to road blockages due to rain in several areas.
Sikkim Tourism Development Commission (STDC) Chairman Lukendra Rasaily said that 200 tourists were stranded in North Sikkim and STDC along with a travel organization had sent taxis to bring them back here.
On arrival here, they will be sent to Siliguri in West Bengal.
Rasaily said that the tourists are being kept in their hotels for the past two days and the STDC has asked the travel and hotel operators to take special care of them.
Phodong and Namok on the highway to Mangan in North Sikkim are blocked.
The road leading to the district is also closed at Sukpe, Rakdong and Tintek Khola near Dikchu and debris removal is underway, officials said.
Some houses have been damaged in Marchak village on the Singtam-Mangan highway and the affected people have been shifted to new places by the district administration.
The road to Lum, Zongo in North Sikkim has also been closed after a major slide, the only connecting road to the village.
A massive landslide in Pegong near Chunthang has completely cut off the tourist destinations of Lachen and Laching Gangtok. He said that heavy rain is affecting the restoration work there.
