Gangtok, Sep 18 : Chief Minister Dr. Pawan Chamling who is scheduled to leave for New York,USA has once again held a review meeting at his official residence Mintokgang to ascertain present situation of availability of essential items especially LPG,Medicines,Petrol & Diesel in capital Gangtok and as well as all places in districts in view of regular NH31 A breaches due to rain and land slides. Chief Minister has appealed to officers of concerned department to function on war footing to restore supplies to state through normalizing traffic on highway.
Dr. Chamling has directed department of health officials to organise medical camps at landslide affected areas in view of controlling any disease breaking on mass scale due to disruption of landslides of essential amenities.Department of Land Revenue has been also directed to take adequate measures to provide relief to affected areas and people.
Dr. Chamling has appealed to people of state to co-operate with state government to meet the crisis developing due to present 27th mile problem which has resulted in disrupting supplies of essential to people although Government departments are taking adequate alternative measures to handle the situation. The review meeting was attended by Minister for UD & HD, DD Bhutia, Minister for Health, Hissey Lachungpa, Minister for Commerce and Industries, RB.Subba, Chief Secretary, ND Chingapa, and HoDs
Meanwhile, Essential supplies has fast depleted in Sikkim as efforts were on to clear the landslide near 27th mile which had disrupted traffic along NH 31A for the few weeks .
According to reports, kerosene, diesel, and LPG stock were in crisis at the sole Indian Oil Corporation(IOL) depot located at Mazitar near Rangpo, East Sikkim.
No fresh supply of essential items had been made since the heavy landslide at NH 31A near Kalijhora in West Bengal. Presently, vehicles were using the existing stock available in the market which may not last much longer, reports said.LPG stock in Sikkim hardly lasted a couple of days last time it got some emergency stock which were distributed in Gangtok,Namchi,Jorethang , said Menla Ethanpa, general manager of State Trading Corporation of Sikkim (STCS). STCS distributes LPG gas all over the state. ''If connectivity links are not at earliest , we will be facing a big crisis,''Mr Ethanpa said.
IOL officials from Siliguri said nine of their tankers were stranded along the way to Sikkim. Around nine tankers with a combined capacity of 40 tonne of LPG gas were sent to Sikkim daily.
Prices of vegetables and other commodities have almost doubled in the state since the blockade. Commuters were paying a heavy price to reach Siliguri via the longer Darjeeling-Kurseong route.Meanwhile, Border Roads Organisation(BRO) was working on a war footing to clear the road at the troubled area. However,The BRO said the road near 27th mile is being restored by NHPC.
