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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Pipon brings status update on Lachung

GANGTOK, 27 Sept: Lachung Pipon Chewang Namgyal, accompanied by four residents of the North Sikkim village, arrived in Gangtok from Lachung in an army helicopter today and brought firsthand accounts of Lachung’s earthquake experience and fatermath.
Accompanied by Thupden Lachungpa, Pema Ongdi Lachungpa, Gyatso Lachungpa and Karma Lhendup, the Pipon stressed that his first message was to students and people from Lachung outside the village at present. “Everyone in Lachung is safe thanks to the blessings of Guru Rinpoche and Lachung Rinpoche and there is no need to worry for any one’s safety,” he said.
They further informed that Lachung Rimpoche visited the area today and conducted special prayers for the area and the State and also gave away Rs 1 lakh for the people as relief.
While the buildings and houses in Lachung have suffered extensive damage, the people were all safe, they stressed, adding that destruction of the road network was too extensive to be repaired any time soon. The damage to the roads was so severe that villages around Lachung - Bichu, Singring, Thomchu, Phaka, Dongethang, Sokothang and Sarsok – were cut off from each other.
With power supply and telecommunication still to be restored, another worry for the village is the disruption of the water supply network.
“Luckily, this time Lachung enjoyed a bumper harvest of potatoes so we had enough potatoes and Tsampa and people were exchanging stocks among themselves to ensure that everyone was well provided for,” they said.
They further informed that two fresh landslides occurred in Lachung last night and damaged houses- one slide at Bichu, which damaged four houses and another slide at Pakha which damaged two houses. Landslides, they add, remain a continuing worry.
They also expressed their deep dissatisfaction with the BSNL for having failed to restore network in the area
“We felt neglected because official presence reached Lachung very late. We are not talking about financial assistance, but the moral support and concern which would have reassured us,” they expressed.
However, it was informed that the Chungthang SDM reached Lachung on foot on 24 September and surveyed the area in coordination with Pipons. Likewise, a team of doctors from STNM Hospital reached Lachung the same day. The area MLA, TW Lepcha and former MLA, Hissey Lachungpa also made it to Lachung and handed over Rs 10 lakh as relief assistance to the Dzumsa.
“We have serious complaints against the Disaster Management Department as earlier its representatives used to visit the area often for disaster management training but since the earthquake, no one has visited the area,” they expressed.
“We want to request to the Government that immediate relief measures for rehabilitation and evacuation of the people to safer places be undertaken,” they said. They further requested that public property and monasteries be immediately repaired.
They has also sought that the report of the expert team studying the stability of their area be shared with the people as well so that they were better informed.
They have also requested that people not ‘play politics’ with their condition and not indulge in blame-games  but come together to reach relief and assistance to the affected areas.

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