Chidambaram said “no efforts” would be spared by the Centre to enable quake-hit Sikkim

Rs 70 crore to get back on feet 

Sikkim/Gangtok, Sept. 22: Union home minister P. Chidambaram today said “no efforts” would be spared by the Centre to enable quake-hit Sikkim and its people to get back on their feet at the earliest.

A grant of Rs 20 crore had been released yesterday for relief and restoration work in the Himalayan state. Another Rs 50 crore would be released by the Centre tomorrow, the home minister said.

“To control the situation in Sikkim, Rs 20 crore was released yesterday as immediate relief. Tomorrow, Rs 50 crore will be released for relief and restoration work. The Sikkim government need not worry about financial assistance… and we are not waiting for the assessment of damage being conducted by the state government,” said Chidambaram after a meeting with Sikkim governor B.P. Singh, chief minister Pawan Chamling and senior government officials at Raj Bhavan.

The funds for immediate relief will be used to ensure road connectivity, water and power supply and distribution of relief and medicine.

“The Prime Minister has asked me to tell the Sikkim government and the people that the first thing he will do after completing his Washington trip is visit Sikkim. Meanwhile we have asked the state government to prepare a memorandum but without waiting for it, a central team will come to Sikkim to make an assessment. We will have the assessments ready and based on them, long-term and medium-term rehabilitation programmes will be drawn up,” said the home minister.

Chidambaram’s IAF chopper landed at the Libing helipad around 9am and he proceeded straight with Chamling to the government-run STNM Hospital in Gangtok. He spoke to the victims in the surgical, ENT and orthopaedic wards for 30 minutes.

The minister then visited Tashiling secretariat, which has been damaged by the quake, before proceeding to Raj Bhavan for a meeting with the governor, the chief minister and senior government officials.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to the people of Sikkim… We stand shoulder to shoulder with them and the Government of India will help them in every way to stand on their feet and restore normalcy in the state. I have no doubt, knowing the hardworking, strong, resilient people of Sikkim… they will get back on their feet very quickly…,” said Chidambaram.

The minister said the state government, the army, the ITBP, the BRO and the NDRF were doing exemplary work.

Culture ministry aid

The Union culture ministry will give a helping hand to restore two houses in the Darjeeling hills where Rabindranath Tagore once stayed and the Rumtek monastery that have been affected by the tremor. The ministry will ask the state governments for detailed reports on the Tagore houses in Kalimpong and Mungpoo and the monastery. 

TT