Ralap road mishap claims one

RALAP, 21 Feb: One person was killed in a road accident near Elaichi Khola at Ralap on the Dikchu-Singtam highway on the night of 20 February at around 8.30 PM. The Mahindra Scorpio bearing registration No. SK-01P 2465 plunged down around 800 feet off the road.
The vehicle was plying from Mamring towards Ralap with five occupants on board including the driver.  The deceased Dil Bahadur Pradhan, 30, a resident of Ralap, East Sikkim died on the spot while the other four occupants including the driver were grievously injured.
The injured Kiran Subba, Ranjit Subba, Bishwas Chettri and Pempa Tamang (driver) were rushed to Central Referral Hospital at Gangtok.  The deceased is survived by his wife and one daughter. The dead body was handed over to the family after post mortem at the Singtam District Hospital.

Mangshila residents conduct peace prayers at accident site on the Singtam-Dikchu highway

MANGAN, 24 Jan:  The residents of Mangshilla in North Sikkim observed two days of peace prayers at 4th mile on the Singtam-Dikchu highway on 23 and 24 January under the supervision of Sirijunga Manghim Committee.  The prayers were held at the spot where recently seven tourists were killed in an accident.
On its first day, the prayers were conducted by the lamas with the “Zenshi” prayers and on the second day, puja was performed by Fedangmas (Limboo Priests) with participation of people from all walks of life.
President Sirijunga Mangheem Committee, Mak Raj Limboo informed that a number of accidents have been reported on this stretch which also poses risks for villagers crossing this spot in the evenings.  He also added that the spot between Namok Khola and 5th mile has recorded a high number of accidents in the past and many have lost their lives.

Loaded trucks suspected of forcing their way across Old Rangchang Bridge despite weight ceiling

DIKCHU, 20 Jan: The new Rangchang Bridge on the Singtam-Dikchu road collapsed last month when a vehicle too monstrous in weight and girth [a 48-wheeler] tried to negotiate it. Eight lives, including two pedestrians, were killed in the incident and the outcry was loud. Eventually, the BRO opened the old Rangchang Bridge for traffic, and played over cautious by announcing that traffic would be allowed only after clearance of the district authorities. Over-loaded trucks weighed heavy on everyone’s minds and when the Old Rangchang Bridge was eventually opened for traffic, it was under a 5-tonne max load stipulation. For anyone arriving at the bridge during daytime, this weight ceiling is very strictly implemented, so much so that passengers are made to alight from jeeps and made to walk across, and vehicles, now lighter, driven across. For the past week or so, this weight limit has been blatantly violated by truckers who weight out at a convenient distance during the day and then force their way across the bridge, load and all, after dark. While residents in the area have noticed this, they were suspecting that the trucks were being ‘allowed’ through. When NOW! contacted the ‘traffic controllers’ maintained by BRO at the spot, they dismissed suggestions that they were in cahoots with the truckers and allowing them to slip through at night. They maintain that the trucks arrive in a convoy at night and force their way across. These ‘traffic controllers’, two of them, are obviously in no position to stand up against the truckers with any authority, and one wonders here why a stricter watch is not maintained at this spot.

Nature of collapse makes extraction of bodies difficult

This massive chunk of the 'concrete deck' of the bridge has crushed the truck under it, making extraction of dead bodies not only difficult,  but also perilous for the search and rescue personnel

GANGTOK, 19 Dec: With tons of concrete and an entire nearly 60 tonne 48-wheeler resting upon them, the dead bodies of those killed in the vehicle following the collapse of the steel girder bridge had still not been recovered till late evening today. The first to arrive on the scene were Sikkim Police personnel along with Home Guards to organize and conduct rescue operations with gas cutters etc. A team from the Singtam Fire Brigade arrived next.