Number of families displaced by Rolep flashflood rises to 14

Only the plinth remains of where a house once stood at Rolep. The house below had a miraculous escape as the flashflood, whose debris litters the foreground, bypassed it.

EPCS CHURCH, CASINO MAHJONG AND OTHERS COME OUT WITH SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE
GANTOK, 13 June: Following the tragic incident at Rolep, 14 kms from Rongli bazaar, where a flashflood on the jhora flowing through the town washed away five homes and claimed seven lives on 07 June, support has been pouring in from various sections of the Sikkimese society.
Casino Mahjong of the May Fair group of Hotel Industries today handed over a cheque of Rs. 1 lakh for the seven affected families, reconstruction of other five severely damaged houses and other immediate relief purposes to the Zilla Panchayat.
Area MLA Laxuman Lepcha and Additional District Collector (Development), East, handed over Rs. 50,000 along with the work orders under the Chief Minister’s Rural Housing Scheme for reconstruction of the fully damaged houses. Zilla Adhyaksha East, Bimal Dawari and ADC (Development), MN Dhakal laid the foundation of CMRHM houses of one Min Bahadur Rai at Rolep.
Mr. Dhakal, while speaking to NOW!, said that the government has taken prompt action regarding rehabilitation of the landslide victims and started reconstruction of damaged houses. He informed that in the first stage, the government is reconstructing the five houses which were washed away and seven other severely damaged houses.
Besides this, Block Development Officer (BDO) Rongli on his visit to upper Rolep [Nibarey] above the devastated Rolep found two more houses severely damaged there. With this the total number of families displaced by the 07 June flashflood has gone up to 14.
At present, the 14 families have been given shelter by around 70 families in and around Rolep located in safer areas, informed Mr Dhakal.
The district administration has provided all necessary essential commodities to the displaced including clothes, it is informed.
However, road connectivity is in a deplorable state due to back cutting and upgradation of the present road which is a major concern of the locals there. The whole area has become calamity prone due to the flash flood that hit Rolep, observed ADC, Development.  On the other hand, the ADC has assured to look into the matter adding that the administration has very limited skilled manpower to fight such calamities.
EPCS Church of Church Road, Gangtok has also come out in support announcing that the church will take care of the schooling of Amrita Rai, who was orphaned in the tragic incident. Amrita’s cousin brother who has been taking care of her since the incident has given his consent to the Church regarding the same.
Elder Andrew Rai of the EPCS Church, stated that they are willing to take care of Amrita if her relatives and the government allows the church to do so. They will bear all the expenses for her schooling till class XII, he offered.
The EPCS Church has also donated food grains, clothes, blankets and cash of Rs.7,000 for the victims which was handed over to the Zilla Panchayat.  Similarly, the Dalapchand school children have generously contributed an amount of Rs 3,220 to the victim’s families. The contribution from Casino Mahjong was handed over by the General Manager Sherap Lepcha at Rolep today.