Seven days after the earthquake that shook Sikkim, the main road connection between Gangtok and its northern part is yet to be restored.
Standing at Tung, the last point beyond which the personnel of General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) and Border Road Organisation (BRO) battled to clear the road connecting Gangtok and Chungthang, it was obvious that the R1,400-crore of plan fund the state was sanctioned by the Centre for 2011-12 will be peanuts for the tasks involved.
Tung, 17 km away from Mangan?the epicentre of the September 18 earthquake in Sikkim?is the gateway to a large part of north Sikkim leading to the China border. While the quality of road construction in the state is fairly alright, the state has very little of it. The state has a road network of just over 2,800 km. But only 50% is black topped highway and capable of enduring landslides, the rest just no match for a 6.8-magnitude temblor.
It is only this year that a plan for a rail link and an airport have been approved by the Planning Commission.
Both, vitally necessary to send relief material are therefore, only on paper and will take at least three years to come up.
The Army, National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police continued to drop food and medicines in different areas of north Sikkim even on Saturday, while air-lifting and evacuation also continued. But all this was happening from far off Bagdogra air base in West Bengal. ?As long the areas remain cut off, the death toll will continue to rise,? said officials at the police headquarter in Gangtok.
The para-military forces are furiously working to clear the few good quality roads like the Gangtok-Chugthang road from the northern end. The road serves as the only lifeline for the northern region as food and essential supplies like medicines and petroleum are transported through the road.
Almost 150 engineers and 300 villagers braved incessant rains to blast the boulders off and clear debris.
?The 3.4-Km stretch ahead looks very challenging as rain water is sweeping loose soil down the hills and blocking the roads further,? said N Harikrishna, assistant executive engineer of GREF overseeing the restoration and repair work at Tung.
?Incessant rains have caused fresh blockades all over the the road,? added Chandrasekhar Ram, an assistant engineer of GREF.
On the way from Gangtok to Mangan, the 5 km stretch between Bittu and Kobi has been almost washed away. Loose soil from the hill slopes has made the road muddy and slippery. The vehicles run the risk of skidding on this five-feet wide road.
The 113-km road along the Teesta from Siliguri to Gangtok is also broken at many places. Although big boulders blocking the road have been cleared, loose soil swept by incessant rain covered the road.
Continuous rain throughout Friday night worsened the plight of people in the state. While two multi-storeyed buildings in Gangtok caved in, people in many parts of the state fled from their huts to take shelter in rescue camps.
The Singam-Dikchu-Rangrang road connecting Gangtok with the northern part was made partially accessible on Saturday. The road from Rangpo to Mangan has also been connected.
Meanwhile, as people at different places started reconstructing their homes without waiting for government aid.