Kolkata, October 5 (IANS) The landslide in Darjeeling and other North Bengal regions after the torrential rains and landslides caused havoc, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Sunday that he would go to meet him on Monday and observe the situation, rescue and relief campaign.
So far, 13 people have been declared dead in rain -related and landslides in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts.
The road connectivity between West Bengal and Sikkim was completely cut off as NH10 was washed by the rising Teesta River at places and has also been damaged by landslides.
Road connectivity for Kalimpong is also cut off, while many roads have been damaged, which connect Darjeeling to Siliguri. An iron bridge in Mirik collapsed, and many houses were destroyed in flowing rivers.
The CM was in the control room in the state secretariat, monitoring the situation since Sunday morning. The Chief Minister told the media persons that he will go to North Bengal on Monday along with the Chief Secretary of the state Manoj Pant. She will reach there by noon and will monitor the situation from Siliguri.
The Chief Minister said that the situation in North Bengal worsened due to heavy rains in Bhutan. “North Bengal is filled with water from Bhutan due to rain. This disaster is unfortunate. It is not in our hands. We are surprised to see the front situation. The Chief Secretary and I have held a virtual meeting with the officials of five districts of North Bengal. I have been monitoring since 6 pm.”
CM Banerjee said that there has been more than 300 mm of continuous rainfall in the last 12 hours. He compared the rain in North Bengal on Saturday on 23 September with a disaster in Kolkata. “It has been raining continuously for 12 hours. The landslide has been at a total of seven places. I am monitoring the situation. I hope to reach by 3 pm tomorrow (Monday),” she said.
Many tourists were stranded in the disaster in North Bengal, the CM said that the state government would make arrangements for the return of its safe home.
He said, “Many tourists are trapped. They should not hurry now. Stay where you are. The hotel should not take an additional rent for tourists. It is our responsibility. The administration will look into the matter,” he said.
In addition, the Chief Minister has compensated the families of those who died and provided jobs to their family members. So far, the amount of compensation has not been revealed by his administration.
Meanwhile, the administration has closed all the places of tourist points in Darjeeling. Tourists trapped in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and other areas have been asked not to go out of their hotels.
The meteorological office has estimated heavy rainfall in North Bengal for the next two days, which is likely to cause inconvenience to deteriorate and rescue operations.
After the rains, many trains in North Bengal have been canceled, while many are running late as water filled railway tracks in many areas.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has joined the rescue operations in the Mirik Lake region, one of the worst hit areas. Deaths from many places were reported – Sarsali, Jasbirgaon, Mirik Basti, Dhar Gon (Matchi), and Mirik Lake Areas. At least four people were rescued from debris in Dhar Gon, where heavy Madslides leveled many houses.
A senior police officer said that heavy and continuous rains have severely obstructed rescue operations.
Meanwhile, several families have been transferred to safe places as precautionary measures in Bishanulal Gone, Ward 3 Lake Side and Mirik, while temporary relief camps have been set up in coordination with local non -government organizations and district administration.
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