Central team to assess rain damages

Gangtok, Nov 6: A six member inter-ministerial central team has arrived in Sikkim for a spot evaluation of the damages caused to roads and property triggered by heavy rainfall during monsoon this year.

Extensive damages were observed throughout the State even as the NH 31-A was disrupted for almost a month due to heavy rains.

The inter ministerial team, which reached Gangtok for a five-day recce, was being led by R P Nath, Joint Secretary (Administration) in the Ministry of Home Affairs. The other members are from the Central Planning Commission, Finance and other Central agencies.

The Central team covered different areas of the State yesterday and will visit more areas today. The assessment of road conditions hit by landslides, public and private properties would be made by the team who would be assisted by State line department officials, it is learnt.

The team arrived in Sikkim following a memorandum submitted by the State Government to the Centre. Chief Minister Pawan Chamling had himself requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in September to depute an assessment team.

In October, the State Government had submitted a memorandum to the Central Relief Commissioner in the Ministry of Home Affairs where an assessment of damages made by the State Land Revenue and Disaster Management Department was placed.

According to this assessment, the total damages in the State were to the tune of Rs 94.41 crore.

A supplementary addition was also made later for another Rs 21.87 crore for the State Roads and Bridges Department and Rs 22.80 crore for the State Land Revenue and Disaster Management Department.

These are the damages estimated apart from the damage to NH 31-A, which is done separately by the Border Roads organisation and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).

In the natural calamity that affected Sikkim during the monsoons this year, 12 lives were lost while eight people were injured.

Around 126 houses were fully damaged while 854 houses were partially damaged. A total of 911 livestock and sheds were destroyed in the landslides and flashfloods, official records state.

UNI