Areas in North Sikkim remain cut off for fourth day

Areas above Mangan and Chungthang in Sikkim's North District remained cut off for the fourth day today with no power or drinking water after flashfloods and landslides hit the area last week.

Though Chungthang was spared direct impact of the flashfloods and landslides which scarred the hills around it on Saturday and claimed the lives of 21 ITBF and BRO personnel, it was still cut off from the rest of the state.

Around 500 households were affected, Relief Commissioner S B S Bhaduria said. He said that there was sufficient stock of food in the affected area. IAF helicopters were flying out the injured and ferrying in doctors and officials, the sources said.

The Power Department restored electricity supply to Toong during the day and was confident of completing the repairs upto Chungthang by Thursday at the latest, the sources said.

The SDM office has arranged power for streetlights with three generators, the sources said. Households in Chungthang would be provided kerosene to meet lighting requirements at home, they said.

The PHE Department was repairing water supply lines as drinking water was being supplied in tankers, the sources said. The water supply was expected to be restored in the next few days, they said.