Heavy rain washes 200-metre stretch of road at 7th Mile, damages houses

<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: &quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">GANGTOK,:</span></b><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;"> A nearly 200-metre stretch of road at 7th Mile under Kyongnosla GPU in East Sikkim has been washed away due to continuous heavy rainfall, severely disrupting vehicular movement and affecting connectivity in the area.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: &quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">A joint inspection of the affected site was conducted by a team comprising OSD to Kabi-Lungchok MLA, Lazong Bhutia, zilla panchayat member, Bhojoghari councillor Ongden Bhutia, District Disaster Management Authority joint director Sonam Wongyal Lepcha, head surveyor Sherap Bhutia along with local residents to assess the extent of the damage, informs a press release.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: &quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">The inspection found that several residential houses had developed cracks ranging from minor to severe, while one house had completely collapsed. Several other houses were found to have major structural cracks, raising concerns over the safety of occupants. No casualties have been reported, officials said.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: &quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">The team also observed extensive structural damage to a local monastery and temple, which have been declared unsafe for religious activities until further notice.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: &quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">As a precautionary measure, Sikkim ShramikBishramGriha, the only government building in the vicinity, has been identified as a temporary relief shelter. Families living in unsafe houses may be shifted there if required, pending detailed assessment and rehabilitation measures.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: &quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">Release addsthat concerned departments have been asked to take immediate steps to restore road connectivity, carry out detailed structural assessments and implement necessary mitigation and rehabilitation measures to ensure the safety of affected residents.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: &quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">&nbsp;</span></p><p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-IN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family: &quot;Bookman Old Style&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">&nbsp;</span></p>

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