Essential commodities air-lifted to remote Dzongu, 10 stranded people flown out

A rescue team comprising of Indian Reserve Battalion (IRBn), Sikkim Armed Police (SAP) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) headed from Toong to Theng in North Sikkim where some dead bodies are yet to be recovered.

WANGCHUK BHUTIA
MANGAN, 24 Sept: Inclement weather and poor visibility over Gangtok did not allow any helicopter flights to take off from the capital to destinations in North Sikkim, but a brief opening in Mangan was well utilised by army helicopters based there to reach food supplies to cut off villages of Dzongu and also evacuate 10 persons from two villages.
Senior Army officials, while addressing a press conference in Gangtok, informed that two smaller helicopters stationed in Mangan flew several sorties into Dzongu today.
The two helicopters delivered 710 kg of dry ration [ready-to-eat meals] to Sakyong and another 600 kg of dry ration to Pentong beyond Bey today. The residents of Bey have all evacuated to Mangan, save a senior citizen who has refused to leave the village. Relief teams have stocked enough supplies there for him and are keeping a lookout for him there as well.

On their flights back from Sakyong and Pentong, the army helicopters also airlifted villagers there who wished to leave for Mangan. While seven stranded villagers from Sakyong took the chopper to Mangan, three from Pentong took the offer.
Helicopters remain the only access to the seven villages of Sakyong, Pentong, Bey and Saffo [in Dzongu], and Lachung, Lachen and Chungthang north of Mangan. While access to Chungthang has been stabilised at least for those willing to walk the distance, fresh landslides on the Mangan-Sankalang road due to the past two days of rain have blocked vehicular access to Dzongu again.
Dzongu MLA, Power Minister SG Lepcha and Mangan MLA, TW Lepcha, informed media-persons that Mangan has surplus stock of essential commodities and that these are being reached to areas still cut-off.
A group of people from Lachung who arrived here today, informed media persons that they were facing a shortage of medicines there. Lachung has been cut-off since Sunday, with only helicopters make it to the North Sikkim village thus far and the people expressed dissatisfaction with the relief funds distribution.
On the ground, the recently deployed teams of Sikkim Armed Police and Indian Reserve Battalion along with National National Disaster Response Force who have been there for a while have been making substantial progress.
Today a joint team of these forces headed for Theng a few kilometers short of Chungthang from where some dead bodies have still not been recovered.
Senior SP, North, BK Tamang, while speaking with NOW! informed that the rescue team have been working effectively despite the difficult terrain in Dzongu and from Mangan to Chungthang.
When asked to comment on the suspect efficacy of the NDRF in people’s minds, the Sr. SP highlighted that since the local forces like SAP and IRBn know the terrain well and are better conditioned for challenges there, they have been able to reach locations which have confounded other teams thus far.
Also today, the road from Chungthang to Pegong towards Lachen and Lachung was opened but areas beyond remain uncleared.  The areas of Ramom, Shipgyer, Saffo and Salem Pakel are also still cut off for vehicular access.
Also today, a local NGO, Youth Welfare Organisation, organised a funeral for Ganga Rai of Nepal and Bhupal Gurung of Buriakhop, Darjeeling, two casualties to the 18 September earthquake whose family members were not in a condition to take the bodies home.
Supplies of essential commodities have also been contributed by the Sikkim Chamber of Commerce, All Sikkim Bihari Jagaran Manch,  Vodafone, Namchi Municipal Council, NAV Prabhat Samaj, Lions Club of Rangpo, GJMM, Gangtok Municipal Corporation, Brothers Tour & Travels and Shiep Society. STCS has provided 1,000 refilled LPG cylinders for Mangan while the youth of Lower-Singhik started a relief camp at Ringhim helipad and are operating a community kitchen there.
Today, the Mangan Nagar Panchayats also started a detailed survey of property damaged here and will releasing ex gratia funds accordingly. The NDRF has started a health camp at Mangan to provide immediate help to the people who reach the District HQ from affected areas.