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| Bhima Tamang with her daughter at the Mangan Helipad. They camp here everyday hoping that her son is in one of the helicopter evacuation sorties. There has been no good news for them thus far. |
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| Deo Kumari, who has trekked to Naga thrice since Sunday hoping to get some news on her husband's whereabouts. |
GANGTOK, 21 Sept: While all of north Sikkim including district officials, army and other personnel are occupied with the death toll and damages, the one thing going unnoticed is the number of missing people. At a conservative estimate, there are about 50 local labourers who were working at the project sites in north Sikkim, mainly at Chungthang, ‘missing’, with their families having had no communication with them since the Sunday earthquake. The district headquarter town of Mangan is clogged with families from villages in and around Mangan and Dikchu who are anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones and relatives employed in the Teesta Stage III hydel project.
Missing, it may be mentioned here, does not necessarily mean feared dead and have their families worried because there has been no communication with them since the earthquake. Communication network in most parts north of Mangan remain disrupted.
The district officials have only a list of the dead and the injured who have been brought to the hospital; there is absolutely no information as to how many are missing. The district officials do clarify that these ‘missing’ persons could be safe in Chungthang, communication channels with which have still not been restored. There is also no account at hand of the non-local labourers who are missing as there is no one waiting for them or searching for them here in Sikkim.
At Dzongu itself, official sources inform, there are 13 labourers who were engaged at the Himagiri project site ‘missing’. Of 16 labourers confirmed to have survived thequake and the resulting landslides, 3 returned to Mangan today while there is still no word on the rest. Seven labourers are reported to have been killed in a landslide. Of these 7, the bodies of only two have been accounted for thus far.
NOW! spoke to several families who have someone missing or with whom they have not been able to establish contact since the earthquake.
Locals inform that there are around 200 local labourers from the villages around Dikchu including Jang, Khamdong, Luing, Sadam-Suntaley, Limbong, Raley, Manzing, Marchak and Mangshila.
The wife of Gopal Chettri from Jang, speaking to NOW! at Mangan said that she had gone up to Mangan thrice in search of her husband who works at Theeng for Teesta Urja. His name was not there in the list of the dead accounted for thus far. She has been trying to contact her husband but in vain as all communication networks are down. She informed that she even checked the 15 unidentified corpses at the district hospital and thankfully her husband was not among them.
Also from Jang is Padam Prasad Koirala from whom as well, there has been no word since thequke. His brother, Arjun, informed that his brother too worked at Teesta Urja and that the wives of the missing labourers were going up to Mangan almost everyday hoping for news of their husbands.
He also informed that there were around 100 locals from the neighbouring regions engaged as labourers at the project site in Chungthang and about another 100 from other parts of the State.
Uma Subba, the wife of Kuber Subba, also missing informs that he had last called her from a friend’s mobile the night of the earthquake. They also informed that one Bhim Prasad and three others from Raley have also not returned; Devi Lal Karki of Marchak, another labourer, has also not called home yet.
Deo Kumari walked up to Naga on 20 September. She further informed that when she went up to Naga she was accompanied by two women, one from West Sikkim and one from Mangshila, who were also searching for their husbands. They have made the trip twice already.
Jamuna Chettri, wife of Indra Lal Chettri, another labourer, had last called his wife at 2 am Monday morning but he has not been heard of since.
The family members informed that they have not been able to contact their relatives as the phone lines are down; added to this is their grievance that the Teesta Urja officials have not been forthcoming with updates and information.
The family members were informed that it could be that their husbands and other missing relatives may have been taken to other hospitals and that the police would keep a lookout for them.
There is one family which comes everyday to the Mangan helipad in the hope that the army chopper will bring in their loved one.
Bhima Tamang’s son Pempa Bhutia, 21, working at the project site at Chungthang is still missing. Bhima and her daughter were at the Mangan helipad today as well but the army helicopters were engaged in air lifting tourists. The family has lost their house at Maning to the earthquake and is living in the jungle. They have not heard of any relief camp.
The DC North informed that teams had gone out in search operations in various places but it was difficult work considering the terrain and the slides. He also informed that due to lack of communication there was a sharp concern over those who had not contacted their families.
The DC North had just completed a aerial recce of Chungthang, among the worst hit. He stated that the Gurudwara Committee along with army and other locals were organizing food for around 2,000 people there on a daily basis and people and were sleeping in makeshift camps at the Gurudwara and school campus. Several bodies were also seen to be trapped.
As for the incommunicado officials of Teesta Urja, they remain recalcitrant and have not offered any information on the status of its employees or projected casualty figures for its work sites. However, it is hoped that with communication networks improving and the clearing of the roads many of the ‘missing’ will return home and celebrate happy reunions.
The district officials have only a list of the dead and the injured who have been brought to the hospital; there is absolutely no information as to how many are missing. The district officials do clarify that these ‘missing’ persons could be safe in Chungthang, communication channels with which have still not been restored. There is also no account at hand of the non-local labourers who are missing as there is no one waiting for them or searching for them here in Sikkim.
At Dzongu itself, official sources inform, there are 13 labourers who were engaged at the Himagiri project site ‘missing’. Of 16 labourers confirmed to have survived thequake and the resulting landslides, 3 returned to Mangan today while there is still no word on the rest. Seven labourers are reported to have been killed in a landslide. Of these 7, the bodies of only two have been accounted for thus far.
NOW! spoke to several families who have someone missing or with whom they have not been able to establish contact since the earthquake.
Locals inform that there are around 200 local labourers from the villages around Dikchu including Jang, Khamdong, Luing, Sadam-Suntaley, Limbong, Raley, Manzing, Marchak and Mangshila.
The wife of Gopal Chettri from Jang, speaking to NOW! at Mangan said that she had gone up to Mangan thrice in search of her husband who works at Theeng for Teesta Urja. His name was not there in the list of the dead accounted for thus far. She has been trying to contact her husband but in vain as all communication networks are down. She informed that she even checked the 15 unidentified corpses at the district hospital and thankfully her husband was not among them.
Also from Jang is Padam Prasad Koirala from whom as well, there has been no word since thequke. His brother, Arjun, informed that his brother too worked at Teesta Urja and that the wives of the missing labourers were going up to Mangan almost everyday hoping for news of their husbands.
He also informed that there were around 100 locals from the neighbouring regions engaged as labourers at the project site in Chungthang and about another 100 from other parts of the State.
Uma Subba, the wife of Kuber Subba, also missing informs that he had last called her from a friend’s mobile the night of the earthquake. They also informed that one Bhim Prasad and three others from Raley have also not returned; Devi Lal Karki of Marchak, another labourer, has also not called home yet.
Deo Kumari walked up to Naga on 20 September. She further informed that when she went up to Naga she was accompanied by two women, one from West Sikkim and one from Mangshila, who were also searching for their husbands. They have made the trip twice already.
Jamuna Chettri, wife of Indra Lal Chettri, another labourer, had last called his wife at 2 am Monday morning but he has not been heard of since.
The family members informed that they have not been able to contact their relatives as the phone lines are down; added to this is their grievance that the Teesta Urja officials have not been forthcoming with updates and information.
The family members were informed that it could be that their husbands and other missing relatives may have been taken to other hospitals and that the police would keep a lookout for them.
There is one family which comes everyday to the Mangan helipad in the hope that the army chopper will bring in their loved one.
Bhima Tamang’s son Pempa Bhutia, 21, working at the project site at Chungthang is still missing. Bhima and her daughter were at the Mangan helipad today as well but the army helicopters were engaged in air lifting tourists. The family has lost their house at Maning to the earthquake and is living in the jungle. They have not heard of any relief camp.
The DC North informed that teams had gone out in search operations in various places but it was difficult work considering the terrain and the slides. He also informed that due to lack of communication there was a sharp concern over those who had not contacted their families.
The DC North had just completed a aerial recce of Chungthang, among the worst hit. He stated that the Gurudwara Committee along with army and other locals were organizing food for around 2,000 people there on a daily basis and people and were sleeping in makeshift camps at the Gurudwara and school campus. Several bodies were also seen to be trapped.
As for the incommunicado officials of Teesta Urja, they remain recalcitrant and have not offered any information on the status of its employees or projected casualty figures for its work sites. However, it is hoped that with communication networks improving and the clearing of the roads many of the ‘missing’ will return home and celebrate happy reunions.
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