Mirik earthquake affected residents cry of negligence

Residents of Thurbo and Seeyok tea estates in Mirik have been badly shaken up by the 5.1 magnitude tremor of April 27 (Read News: Mirik Earthquake 5.1 dameges across Darjeeling ) and are complaining of being ignored by the administration even as aid is being sent to neighbouring Nepal continuously. The residents said the tremor has left cracks in numerous houses and they have been forced to sleep in tents and mats in open areas. The district administration is yet to reach out to the quake affected zones around Mirik. Some panchayat representatives along with the Mirik police have only conducted a sketchy survey of the damage, but no concrete assistance has reached any village, they said, adding hundreds of people do not even have tarpaulin sheets to sleep under. “It’s been more than a week since we have been living inside plastic tents at our backyards, but no district official seems to care. They are all so busy providing relief aid to Nepal that they have forgotten their own people, said Ajay Rai, a retired policeman and resident of Bahadur Gaon in Thurbo. (HS)