Sunday evening's earthquake left seven dead and 70 injured in West Bengal, according to official sources, with Darjeeling being among the worst-affected districts. Inclement weather was hampering relief and rescue operations in a pre-puja tragedy that has left over 10,000 homeless.
West Bengal Governor M.K. Narayanan summoned Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh and Home Secretary G.D. Gautama for a meeting at the Raj Bhavan. Earlier, Mr. Ghosh held a video conference with the Union Cabinet Secretary. The State government has extended a helping hand to its neighbour Sikkim, which has been hit very badly by the tectonic shift in the Himalayas.
Mamata for North Bengal
While Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has rushed to North Bengal, Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh held meetings with the Home Secretary, Disaster and Relief Secretary I.B. Pandey and Irrigation Secretary Anjan Chatterjee.
Mr. Ghosh told reporters at the Secretariat in the evening that while four people died in Darjeeling, two died in Uttar Dinajpur and one in Jalpaiguri. Darjeeling, along with the three north Bengal districts of Uttar Dinajpur, Jalpaiguri and Coochbehar, was affected badly. “The maximum impact is at Darjeeling,” he said.
Mr. Ghosh said that while 3,141 houses were totally damaged, 7,703 houses were partly damaged. On the meeting with the Governor, Mr. Ghosh said he reviewed the situation in the State and wanted to know what could be done to help rescue operations in Sikkim. Altogether 12 Army helicopters had been requisitioned. The rescue mission was being conducted by the National and State-level Disaster Management Forces along with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.
Minister for Disaster Management Javed Khan said the Treasury Building in Kalimpong was badly damaged along with the residence-cum-office of the Kalimpong SDO.
Of the two National Highways blocked by rubble and landslips, NH 31A has been cleared and is now open, while NH-34 is open to one-way traffic. These provide lifeline connectivity to Sikkim as well as the north-east with the rest of the country.
Sikkim Rescue
The West Bengal government has stepped in to help with relief and rescue operations in Sikkim, which has borne the brunt of the tremor. Following requests from the Sikkim government and after discussing the issue with the Centre, the West Bengal government has readied 2,000 packets of medicine, as well as tarpaulins which are being sent from Malda to Siliguri to be transported by Indian Air Force helicopters. “Along with a team from the Centre, the West Bengal government sent a medical team to Sikkim on Sunday,” Mr. Ghosh said. He said 33 columns of Army Engineers based in West Bengal and Sikkim were engaged in the relief and rescue operations.
Control Rooms
While control rooms had been opened in Siliguri in North Bengal and at the State Secretariat here, 1 lakh pieces of tarpaulin and 5 lakh packets of food had been distributed in North Bengal.
West Bengal Power Minister Manish Gupta is looking after the restoration of power supply in many areas.
Stranded
A 25-member government song and drama team visiting Sikkim is stranded and efforts are on to locate and rescue them as they appeared to be in different spots. While 12 of them were in Phumdong, two were in Gangtok and 11 in Namchi.
