Fear of landslide has rendered 35
families from Poshyer under Kalimpong sub-division homeless. The entire
village is in the verge of being swept away by landslide, forcing the
villagers to take temporary refuge along the 2nd Mile roadside under
plastic and tarpaulin roofs. The villagers said the cracks which could
lead to landslide in getting bigger by the day and with continuous rains
they were left with no other option but to leave their houses.
Although the families have been rendered
homeless due to an imminent natural disaster, the disaster management
department has kept mum on the issue. The village falls under Kalimpong
Gram Panchayat and Tisiding Gram Panchayat, but the villagers have not
been provided with any relief material, nether by the department nor the
Gram Panchayats. The families lamented the department has not even
provided a single piece of tarpaulin or fuel and food. Villager Rajen
Giri said the Panchayat members visited the village to assess the
landslide, but instead of providing help they questioned the villagers
on why they left the village without any landslide when they could
clearly see the slope is almost about to give up.
Another villager Kamala Chettri said she
and her family left their house and livestock to save themselves and
have taken refuge under a tree along in 2nd mile. “It is difficult to
sleep at night because of the leaking tarpaulin roof under which we
sleep. We also do not have any kerosene to make light in the night,” she
added.
Poshyer village gets cut off from
Kalimpong and other places every time there is heavy rain. The villagers
have to cross a river to reach Poshyer as there is no bridge across the
river and when there is heavy rain it rises and makes it difficult to
cross. Due to continuous rains today, the villagers were unable to reach
their homes to collect their valuables.
Meanwhile, former Gram Panchayat Pradhan
Som Prashad Pradhan was shocked to know the villagers have not even
been provided with essential relief materials in such a situation.
However, Kalimpong GTA sabhasad Kazim Tshering Bhutia did provide a few
essential materials to the villagers and has promised the administration
will hold an emergency meeting to help them. Bhutia along with Save the
Hills convener Prabhulla Rao also visited Poshyer village today to take
stock of the situation.
Rao said the village is threatened by
the rising Teesta River in the South and landslide from the north. “The
hills have not received much rain this year, while Kalimpong is short by
40% rain during the May-July period. If this is the situation with such
less rain, I fear the village will be swept away by the landslide if it
increases,” Rao observed. He also called on a geological survey of the
area as Poshyer village has been in constant threat of landslides.
Meanwhile, the villagers are also
contemplating to request the administration to provide them a separate
land to shift the entire village as it is difficult to live in Poshyer
with fear of getting swept by landslide all the time.(EOIC)
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