Chungthang-Lachen road restored, work underway to clear other tracts as well

MANGAN, 12 OCT: The Chungthang-Lachen road was restored on Tuesday in a combined effort of the army and the Border Roads Organisation. The Mangan-Chungthang road was also cleared for light vehicles Wednesday evening but traffic is not being allowed on it just yet since some of the spots along it are still considered too risky to drive through. These sections are expected to be stabilised over the next few days. Chungthang, however, can be reached through the Teesta Stage-III adit tunnel from Shipgyer to Chungthang.
However, the Chungthang-Lachung road will take at least another week before it can take traffic. At present the road alignment lost at Maltin, a few kilometres short of Lachung, is being rebuilt.
Elsewhere in the district, restoration work is underway on the road to Bey Pentong [from Lingzya] in Upper Dzongu. This work is being undertaken by the Road & Bridges Department.
In other developments, power supply has been restored to Chungthang and Lachung. Lachen however remains unreached by regular power supply and generators have been pressed into service there. Chaten near Lachen is also being serviced by generators at present.
The 18 September earthquake had damaged the Chyakung Chu hydel project in Lachen and the Lachung HEP, both of 3 MW capacity each. These hydel projects serviced Chungthang and areas north of it in the district. Power & Energy Department personnel have been at work at these projects to restore power generation. Power supply to the affected areas has meanwhile been routed from Mangan.
Power supply to Lachung was restored on 04 Oct, to Pegong on the 5th and Chungthang on 06 October.
Meanwhile a Power Department team arrived at Lingzya in Upper Dzongu today and have begun work to restore power supply to the area and further to the villages of Bay, Sakyong and Pentong. The department engineers believe that despite extensive damage on this axis, they will be able to restore power supply to these villages within 15 days.