Ecclesiastical Deptt’s inability to assess damage or even visit the damaged Tholung Monastery peeves residents

MANGAN, 10 Oct: The much-revered Tholung monastery in Upper Dzongu, which houses relics belonging to Lhatsun Chenpo [including his hand-written autobiography], has sustained extensive damage due to the 18 September Earthquake and while this itself has the people concerned, they are also upset that despite the importance of the monastery and what it houses, no one from the Ecclesiastical Department has visited the monastery thus far to assess the damage or arrange proper safekeeping of its relics. 
Tholung falls under the Sakyong-Pentong GPU of Dzongu, an area which has suffered extensive earthquake damage with the road connectivity [from Mangan] limited to Lingzya and the Lingzya-Tholung ling completely cut off with not even treks initially possible upto the monastery [from Lingzya]. Since the earthquake however, the local residents with the help of Helping Hand Sikkim, a Gangtok-based NGO, cleared a footpath from Lingzya to Tholung after 10 day of arduous work. This path however remains a dangerous trek and it is not possible to carry essential commodities over it.
While speaking to NOW!, the Sakyong-Pentong Zilla panchayat member, Toknam Lepcha, informed that the monastery’s committee and the public have already reported the damage and requested the Ecclesiastical Department [through the Mangan control room] to depute officials to officially assess and undertake repairs. Unfortunately, no officials from the concerned department has turned up till date to carry out the assessment, the residents complain.
Mr. Lepcha informs that the committee has shifted the relics to the upper floor of the monastery for the safety [since the ground floor, as the accompanying photograph details, has taken extensive damage]. They have however not carried out any further steps awaiting directions of the concerned department which is yet to visit the monastery.
The public and committee have expressed deep dissatisfaction over the delay in carrying out an official assessment of the monastery as well as the delay in making the footpath from Lingzya safer for the people.
At present, two Home Guard personnel have been deployed from the Police Department as guards at the monastery along some residents who are also keeping a watch over the monastery.