Pabong-Kholaghari buckles under rains PURAN TAMANG

NAMCHI, 27 June: Continuous downpour over the past few days in South Sikkim has resulted in damage to several houses and standing crop at Pabong Kholaghari under Poklok-Kamrang constituency.

Last night's rainfall damaged GB Rai's house where his kitchen was swept away by a landslide and now his entire house and attached field are in danger.

Similarly, the houses and fields of Dawa Singh Rai, Krishna Bdr Rai, LK Rai and TT Lepcha have reportedly been damaged and if the rain continues the village could suffer major damage, it is informed.

Gome Bahadur Rai informs that last night's rain damaged his kitchen and caused cracks in other parts of his house. If the downpour continues then the entire house will be destroyed, he added.

According to the villagers, delay in road widening work is to be blamed for the damages. Mr Rai has alleged that back cutting work along the Namchi-Wok road have weakened the slopes and caused the damage to his house.

“We are happy to have wider roads in our area but they should take protective measures like putting up retaining walls. We had approached the concerned department and contractor several times for the past one year regarding this but they did not listen to us,” he stated.

Villagers said that many houses and land in the area have been damaged with further threat of disaster hanging real over the whole area. The village had suffered major damage in the 2011 earthquake and the delay in the back cutting work and lack of protection walls has further endangered many houses in the village, they added. 

TT Lepcha also stated that road widening work has now left the Bhutia Gaon of Upper Pabong in a precarious situation. The whole area has developed cracks and some places in the area are also sinking, he said, adding that the concerned department must take immediate action regarding this.

On the other hand, the AE Roads & Bridges informed that the back cutting works are time bound and have to be completed within the stipulated time. He said that the department had identified the vulnerable areas and constructed protection walls but continuous rainfall had caused the damages. 

The department has sent a team to assess the damages and compensation will also be released, he informed. The AE added that the department is on alert and is working to prevent further damage in these areas.

A team from the District Administration Disaster Management Cell headed by DPO (S) Pempa Norbu also visited the spot and has assessed the damages following which immediate relief has also been given to the affected families.