Wednesday, September 28, 2011

The Governor of Sikkim, B.P. Singh takes aerial survey of the earthquake affected North Sikkim

Gangtok, September 28:Army made 12 helicopter sorties today 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.
 
The Governor of Sikkim, B.P. Singh visited North Sikkim on an army chopper on Tuesday for an aerial survey of the earthquake affected areas of Chungthang, Lachen and Lachung.

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.Governor expressed his appreciation for the hard work put in by all the organizations especially the Army, ITBP, NDRF and the State Administration.

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

The team, which is scheduled to visit all four districts of the state, also include officials from all ministries concerned.
Sources said 2,542 houses were destroyed and and 6,765 houses damaged in the quake in West district where 181 families were now given shelter in 20 relief camps spread across four blocks.

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

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