Monday, July 4, 2011

Landslide trips trees, snaps power supply to Gangtok

POWER PERSONNEL REPAIR LINES AFTER 24 HOURS OF WORK
GANGTOK, 01 July: After labouring for more than 24 hours Power & Energy Department personnel were able to fully restore power supply to Gangtok and surrounding areas at around 3.30 pm today.
Trees brought down by a landslide on the intervening night of 29 and 30 June at Lower Arithang along the Indira Byepass Road had snapped the two 11KVA power supply lines servicing Gangtok-I and Gangtok-II zones.
Speaking to NOW!, KT Lepcha, Divisional Engineer of the Power Department confirmed that the restoration work which began at 8.30 a.m. yesterday could restore supply only for Gangtok II Zone, which covers Arithang, Paljor Stadium and its surrounding areas.

For Gangtok-I, according to Mr. Lepcha, restoration work started early this morning and was completed at around 3.30 in the afternoon.
With this, consumers of Gangtok Bazaar, Namnang and PS Road received electricity after around 27 hours.
The slide caused along a sinking zone has also posed threat to the properties and lives of the residents of Lower Arithang.
The HRDD Minister-cum-area MLa, NK Pradhan visited the slide affected areas today and directed UD & HD officials to prepare estimates for restoration works, which, it was realized, was beyond the capacity of the District Administrative Centre to undertake.
Similarly, District Collectorate [East], D Anandan and SDM [Gangtok] Dr. AB Karki, who were on the spot for the second time, directed immediate restoration works as per their jurisdiction.
They identified two houses, which need immediate reparis.
On the other hand, DFO [T], East, Nombi Tshering Bhutia, ACF, Tenzing Norbu Bhutia and Gangtok Range RO, LB Bhattarai, alongwith their rescue squad removed eight trees from private holding and three from road reserves, which were posing threat to power supply lines, vehicular traffic and commuters along the Indira Byepass Road.

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