Sikkim earthquake - a month later
It's been a month since the 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck Sikkim bringing death and destruction in the Himalayan state. While fear still exists among the survivors, life in Sikkim is gradually limping back to normalcy.
MUCH HAS changed for those who lost their loved ones, while having a home has become a dream for some. With thousands of houses damaged and their dwellers rendered homeless, the road to reconstruction is long. People now appear prepared to make a new beginning but uncertainty looms large. A nightmare for thousands who are still living in over fifty relief camps persists. Thirty days have gone being homeless, some are still striving to search for houses on rent.
As reconstruction continues, the only question the authorities face is whether it is ready to face similar disasters in the future. The crisis came suddenly and with a lesson to stay prepared, therefore, the state government has now decided to have its own Disaster Response Force, after the centre directed the state to establish one. Waking up to quake realities, the state has even decided to impose stricter building bylaws for the precariously erected buildings across Sikkim. Excavation for new construction has also been banned indefinitely.
Interestingly, most of the damaged structures were government buildings. The state secretariat suffered heavy damage, forcing the Chief Minister himself to shift his office. Topping the toll are around 200 hospitals and dispensaries and over 1700 schools and a few hundred offices damaged across the state. With over 53000 houses damaged to various degrees and 60 persons killed, the state government has placed a memorandum to the centre outlining loss of a whooping one thousand four hundred crores.
Since most of the roads were inaccessible until recently, helicopters of the Indian Army, Air Force and even private ones lie that of Pawan Hans and of the hydro power companies undertook at least 300 sorties to reach cut off areas with rations and medicines. State government has stepped in to disburse relief funds and ex-gratia payments. But politics over it has begun with the opposition parties warning the state government against discrimination while giving away the funds.
With chilly winter just round the corner, the state government has requisitioned 510 prefabricated houses from the union home ministry as part of temporary relief measures for the homeless. In what may mar Sikkim’s ensuing tourist season is the condition of roads leading to popular tourist points such as Nathula, the Indo-China border and the breathtaking Yumthang valley in the worst-hit North district. Tourists have been barred from visiting these places, making a Sikkim tour incomplete.
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