CM seeks continued central assistance to support Sikkim’s resolve to rebuild well

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL MEETING HELD IN NEW DELHI
New Delhi, 23 Oct [IPR]: Chief Minister Pawan Chamling attended a meeting of the National Development Council chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh at Vigyan Bhawan yesterday, informs a press release issued by the Principal Secretary to the CM, RS Basnet.

While acknowledging that this is the second consecutive five-year plan, being made under the guidance and leadership of Dr. Singh, the Chief Minister endorsed the growth projections envisaged by the Planning Commission and the development strategies, adopted for growth in agriculture, rural development, energy, transport, health, education and skill development, science & technology, tourism, hospitality, building of economic infrastructure and good governance.
Referring to the recent earthquake in Sikkim, he apprised the meeting that the State Government has launched rebuilding efforts and sought support from the Central Government, the Geological Survey of India and all related institutions across the country and further demanded that the Centre consider setting up of a Centre for Seismic Studies in Sikkim for the Himalayan and the North Eastern Region in Sikkim.
With adequate central support for the State’s resolve to rebuild, Sikkim, the CM said could “emerge as model State in the country in terms of earthquake forecasting, effective disaster management and charting out earthquake resilient development formats”.
The CM highlighted that owing to the earthquake, development tempo in Sikkim has been pushed back by 5-7 years and requested the Central Government to consider for a Special Central Assistance during the 12th Five Year Plan period.
Besides all the support, he also sought help and assistance from the Government of India for the involvement of multi-lateral funding agencies such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank for providing financial assistance to the earthquake devastated State, so that the world’s best expertise can be made available to Sikkim.
The CM emphasized on the urgent need to provide more physical, socio-economic development and creation of more infrastructure in the North East Region in general, and Sikkim in particular during the 12th Plan period.
“In Sikkim, we have small sized villages, which are scattered throughout the State, therefore the cost of providing physical and social infrastructure like roads and electricity etc. is very high,” the CM informed the meeting.
Emphasizing on the need for infrastructure building and connectivity in the North East Region, the CM reiterated early commencement and completion of alternative route to Siliguri via Chalsa in West Bengal, as part of the strategic border road.
The CM also suggested the use of channels and tunnels while constructing roads in mountain regions. Given the fragile landmass in the mountain states, this will minimize environmental impact over ground and also reduce time taken for travelling to different destinations, he stressed.
The CM thanked the Prime Minister, Home Minister and all other central leaders for their recent visit to Sikkim and for their support. He also thanked the Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Nagaland for their support and assistance extended to the State Government of Sikkim during the recent crisis.
On behalf of the people of Sikkim, the CM also thanked the Armed Forces and the Paramilitary Forces for conducting the rescue operation and extending their humanitarian effort, on all the rehabilitation process.