Evacuation operations in full swing in North Sikkim

Siliguri: Amid favourable weather conditions, evacuation operations continued in North Sikkim in full swing. Helicopters were also pressed into service for speedy evacuations. Till this report was filed, about 399 people were evacuated from Lachen and Lachung in North Sikkim by Army helicopters.

A total of 45 people, including tourists (both domestic and foreign) have been ferried from Lachen to Mangan in three trips.

Nearly 354 tourists, including 13 tourists from Bangladesh have been ferried from Lachung to Pakyong Greenfield Airport in 10 trips. They have been taken to Gangtok. A total of 706 people have crossed the Log Bridge at Chungthang. Many tourists will return to Siliguri on Tuesday.

In the second route from Lachung to Libing, around 54 tourists landed at Libing from where a few headed towards Siliguri while some opted to lodge overnight. The evacuation will resume in the first hour Tuesday. The Sikkim government has arranged buses to drop the tourists to Siliguri, said a Sikkim government source.

“The Sikkim government has made all the necessary arrangements. We are constantly in touch with them. Tourists are safe. The evacuated tourists will come to Siliguri on Tuesday,” said Samrat Sanyal, Secretary of Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network (HHTDN).

Meanwhile, Prem Singh Tamang, chief minister of Sikkim convened a high-level meeting at his official residence, Mintokgang, earlier on Monday with Army top brass led by General Manoj Pande, Chief of Army Staff on damage assessment and plans of restoration of affected roads and bridges.

The Army Chief also interacted with the troops and commended them for their perseverance, dedication and for maintaining high state of operational readiness along the borders while rescue and restoration work continue.

Sikkim Chief Secretary also attended a virtual meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee chaired by Rajiv Gauba, Cabinet Secretary, Government of India, Army officials and others to review the status of the restoration and evacuation operations in Sikkim.

Detailed discussions were held wherein the Chief Secretary apprised that temporary restoration is being done in areas which have been completely cut off. As permanent construction of new motorable roads and bridges is likely to take a long time, temporary arrangements like bailey bridges are being launched by the state government in coordination with the Army and Central agencies.

He mentioned that the efforts to connect Dzongu, Chungthang and beyond are being taken through trekking and foot bridges constructed by the state administration, Central agencies and local public to restore connectivity.

He further informed that the lack of telecommunication connectivity in the affected region in North Sikkim is hampering rescue operations. The BSNL, in coordination with the Army, has planned to bring 5 VSAT units and technicians via helicopter to Lachen, Lachung, Chungthang, Chaten and Theng to restore proper communication.

The Cabinet Secretary called for increasing the number of helicopter sorties to expedite the evacuation from the affected areas of

North Sikkim, stated a Sikkim government release.