SIKKIM OBSERVER OCT 10, 2011

SAKYA TRIZIN IN SIKKIM

Sikkim’s connection with Sakyapas

Recalling the Sikkim-Sakya connection on His Holiness the Sakya Trizin’s visit to Sikkim

Gangtok, Oct 9: His Holiness the Sakya Trizin, the Supreme Head of the Sakyapa Order of the Tibetan Buddhism, who was on a visit to Kalimpong arrived here today on a month-long visit to the State.

The Sakya Trizin’s visit is at the invitation of the Sa-Ngor Chotshog Centre (SNCC - Ngor Gonpa)  in connection with the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Centre, Kunga Y. Hochotsang, the institute’s director said.

 His Holiness, who normally resides in Dehradun, has been accorded the status of the State Guest during his stay in Sikkim, Hochotsang said.

His Holiness’s major engagements during his stay in Sikkim would be the holding of a special Fire puja (Yajna) at Ngor Gonpa, Rongyek on October 17 for those who lost their lives in the massive earthquake in Sikkim and neighbouring places on   September 18 last month  and to pray for prevention of such natural calamity in Sikkim and elsewhere in the world in future. The Fire Puja (Jensek) is being organized at the initiative of the Sikkim Legislative Assembly Speaker K.T.Gyaltshen and Chief Minister Pawan Chamling.

Sikkim’s historical and religious ties with the Sakya dates back to the time when Khye-Bumsa, the eldest son of a scion of the Mynak House in Kham region of Eastern Tibet, helped to raise the pillars of the huge monastery in Sakya in mid-13th century, which was built by the Sakya Hierarch in Sakya in central Tibet, north of Sikkim.  The herculean feat of erecting the pillars not only earned him the title of ‘Khye-Bumsa’, meaning the one who possesses the ‘strength of Hundred Thousand’, but he also married the Sakya Hierarch’s daughter.

Khye-Bumsa later moved southwards and settled in Chumbi Valley, once the administrative centre of Sikkim. He then came into contact with the Lepchas which led to the swearing of the blood brotherhood between the Bhutias and Lepchas  led by the Bhutia leader Khye-Bumsa and the Lepcha Chief, The-Kong-Tek,  at Kabi Longtsok in north Sikkim. Khye-Bumsa remained in Chumbi and died there but his descendants came to Gangtok and settled there. Guru Tashi, Khye-Bumsa’s grandson, who resided in Gangtok, was highly respected and loved by the people. His great grandson, Guru Tenzing, was the father of Sikkim’s first consecrated Chogyal (King) of Sikkim, Chogyal Phuntsok Namgyal.

His Holiness the Sakya Trizin first visited Sikkim when he fled Tibet in 1959 and stayed for a month at Lachen, North Sikkim.  He later visited Lachen and Lachung in 1987. Lachenpas to this day recall their traditional and religious ties with the Sakya Lamas. Since then His Holiness visited Sikkim a couple of times mainly aimed at revival of the Sakya tradition in Sikkim and to promote Buddha Dharma.

Sa-Ngor Chotsog Centre (SNCC)  was established by His Eminence Luding Khenchen Dorje Chang in Gangtok in 1961 under the guidance of His Holiness the Sakya Trizin. Besides preserving the rich traditions of the Sakya order, the Centre provides education and training to young monks in painting, wood block making and other social and cultural activities. Being the first and the only Sakya monastery in Sikkim, the Centre renders religious services to the local people. During his stay in the State the Sakya Trizin is expected to give a number of teachings, public sermons and initiations, besides being engaged in the inauguration of the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Centre.

EDITORIAL

CONG UNDER PRESSURE

Anna Threat Will Work

Middle class Indians are with Anna Hazare on his nationwide anti-corruption campaign. The Congress party cannot ignore this fact, particularly when Assembly polls in several states, including Uttar Pradesh are nearing. The Lok Sabha elections, too, are not far behind. If Team Anna’s anti-graft campaign makes an impact in the coming polls the Congress party is likely to pay a heavy price in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls for its inability to tackle the growing frustration of the people on rampant corruption in administration and every sphere of life in the sub-continent.

Anna Hazare has rightly put the Congress party on notice on the Lokpal issue, saying he would campaign against it in election-bound states if the Centre fails to get his version of the anti-corruption Bill passed in Parliament's Winter Session. This is the only effective way to deal with the likes of the Congress-led UPA government, whose dithering stand on graft is becoming increasingly clear to all. Congress party may be putting a brave front to this threat but they should be warned of the cost the party will pay for its inaction and delaying tactics in tackling corruption head-on.

TACKLING CHAMLING

All Eyes On Bhandari

Sikkim Congress chief Nar Bahadur Bhandari wanted a complete overhaul of the party after he completes his month-long jail sentence. The former chief minister believes that there are few persons within his party who are making a mockery of the party’s stand on dealing strongly with Chief Minister Pawan Chamling on the corruption issue. That the Congress party in the State has taken the corruption issue against Chamling in the court of law is a fact known to many. That the Congress party has achieved very little on the issue in the court is also known to many.

There are now unconfirmed reports that point out that some SPCC leaders, who are involved in the corruption case against Chamling, have compromised and ‘withdrawn’ the petition against Chamling in the Supreme Court. SPCC leader Kunga Nima Lepcha had filed a petition in the Supreme Court to annul a decision taken by the Sikkim Government last year disallowing a CBI probe into charges of corruption against Chamling. The case came up for hearing recently and Lepcha’s vague statement after the court took up the issue has left everyone puzzled. Why is dissident Congress leader KN Upreti, who has been making a lot of noise on alleged rampant corruption in Sikkim, silent on this? Bhandari, now back from Delhi where he was hospitalized following Sikkim High Court’s verdict on corruption charges leveled against him by the CBI in 1984, is expected to resume his tirade against Chamling, politically and legally.

Chandigarh Judge is Chief Justice of Sikkim HC

Gangtok, Oct 9: Justice Permod Kohli of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has been elevated as the Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court. The orders were officially conveyed to the High Court by the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Justice Kohli joined the Bar at Jammu after enrollment on 12 October 1972. He was appointed Additional Advocate General of the State during Governor's rule in the year 1990 and took over as the Advocate General in December 1990. He continued as Advocate General till January 1992 and was designated a senior advocate in April 1991. He was later appointed Additional Judge of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir on 07 January 2003 and as permanent Judge on 03 January 2005. He was later transferred to Jharkhand High Court, Ranchi and took oath on 04 May 2006. Thereafter, he was later transferred to Punjab and Haryana High Court and took oath on 10 May 2007.

After corruption cases against former Sikkim High Court PD Dinakaran forced him to resign in July this year Justice SP Wangdi has been heading the court as the Acting Chief Justice.

SC stays impeachment probe against Justice Dinakaran

New Delhi, Oct 9: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the pre-impeachment probe by a Rajya Sabha-appointed panel into allegations of judicial misconduct and corruption against Sikkim High Court Chief Justice PD Dinakaran.

The apex court passed the order on a plea by Justice Dinakaran, expressing apprehension of biased probe against him by the three-member panel, comprising Justice Aftab Alam of the apex court, Karnataka High Court Chief Justice J S Khehar and senior advocate P P Rao.

The apex court bench of Justice H.S. Bedi and Justice C.K. Prasad issued notice on the petition filed by Justice Dinakaran and gave the respondents, including senior counsel PP Rao, two weeks' time to reply to the petition.

Justice Dinakaran has contended that Rao had signed a memorandum addressed to President Pratibha Patil opposing his elevation as a judge of the Supreme Court and hence Rao's presence in the JIC would prejudice his case.

The court said that Rao's presence in the JIC does not make bias absolute.

However, senior counsel A. Saran appearing for Dinakaran, argued that even the apprehension of bias was enough to hold up the enquiry proceedings.

The three-member (JIC) was set up by Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari after a motion seeking the initiation of impeachment proceedings and removal of Justice Dinakaran was moved on Dec 14, 2009.

Mamata likely to visit Darjeeling on Oct 10

Observer News Service

Darjeeling, Oct 9: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is likely to visit Darjeeling tomorrow before going to Jhargram in Maoist-hit West Midnapore district on October 15.

Banerjee has appealed to all armed groups across the State to surrender arms.

The chief minister would meet local people to enquire about their problems and was expected to focus on development programmes.

Official sources said that before going to Jhargram, the chief minister would visit Darjeeling on October 10 to attend a tourism festival there the next day.

Her proposed Darjeeling visit comes close on the heels of the state assembly passing the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Bill last month.

She would also visit Dooars in Jalpaiguri district, where people in the plains are worried over possible inclusion of their areas in Gorkhaland Territorial Administration jurisdiction, on October 12 and attend a programme of adivasis the following day.

Muyal Liang Trust to provide free education to quake victims

By A Staff Reporter

Geyzing, Oct 9: As part of its support to the victims of the recent earthquake, the Muyal Liang Trust (MLT) has offered free education to victims of the recent earthquake. The Trust wants the victims of the quake to send their children to the Denjong Pema Choeling Academy (DPCA) run by the Trust in Pelling, west Sikkim.

In a letter to the State Chief Secretary, Karma Gyatso, Trust Chief Executive Yapo Sonam Yongda said, “Under the compelling circumstances and as part and compulsion of its social commitments and responsibility, MLT calls upon the earthquake victims of Sikkim to send their children to the DPCA to pursue or continue further education, free of cost.”

“We request the Government of Sikkim to kindly notify this or inform the interested parents who are partially or completely affected by the devastating earthquake of September 18, 2011, from across Sikkim,” Yongda added.

SIKKIM OBSERVER OCT 2, 2011

Editorial

BLOOD MONE Y

Judas Iscariot Committed Suicide

In the Bible Judas Iscariot was paid thirty pieces of silver as bribe by the high priests to betray Jesus Christ. Filled with the guilt of betraying the Son of God, Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’s twelve disciples, committed suicide by hanging himself.  In most cultures the term “blood money” is referred to money or some sort of compensation paid to surviving members of a victim’s family.  After the crucifixion of Christ, Judas returns the payment to the chief priests, who “took the silver pieces and said, ‘It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.’”

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s generous offer of Rs 1,000 crore as immediate aid for rebuilding Sikkim after 9/18’s devastating earthquake while being welcomed by some has surprised many. Restoration of road network in the State will surely be a top priority as without roads, including highways, relief and rehabilitation works and other construction works would be virtually impossible. Sikkim is strategically located in the border region and road and other forms of communication need to be restored at the earliest. The army and the BRO did a commendable job when the quake of 6.9 magnitude struck the fragile Himalayan State on September 18. However, their failure to act timely in providing information from and relief to remote areas of North Sikkim such as Dzongu, Lachen and Lachung was severely criticized as their main concern was Chungthang, the region that reported many deaths and destruction mainly due to hydro power project construction works.

The State Government was almost paralyzed when the quake hit Sikkim. Nothing much is expected from government officials even during peace time. How can we expect them to perform and perform with greater speed and direction during abnormal circumstances? Even Chief Minister Pawan Chamling took a long time to visit Mangan, epicenter of the quake and headquarters of north district. There has been a spontaneous response from the public to help in relief and rehabilitation work. It now appears that more than Rs 1000 crore will be provided to Sikkim to start things anew. Surprisingly, government departments and officials have now come forward in assessing the destruction and damage caused by the recent earthquake. The public is aware that behind their every move is the hidden agenda to make a fast buck. Let them be warned: if they misuse the “blood money” and other relief and rehabilitation materials meant for quake victims  they, too, may go the Judas Iscariot way.

SIKKIM OBSERVER OCT 2, 2011

We’re with you, PM tells Sikkimese

Gangtok, Oct 1: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the Sikkimese people were not alone in their hour of crisis and the entire nation stood by them. He added that all possible help will be extended in rebuilding the lives of the people of Sikkim.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today announced Rs. 1000 crore from the Centre to meet the requirement of relief and rehabilitation in Sikkim in the aftermath of a massive earthquake that struck the state on 18 of September.

The Prime Minister on his visit to the State on Thursday made an aerial recce of North Sikkim and other parts of the State. After this, a meeting took place at the Katoch Hall in the Libing Cantonment with the Chief Minister, Cabinet Ministers, MLAs, the State Government administration, representatives of the Army, NDRF and other armed forces.

During the meeting the Chief Secretary made a Power Point Presentation on the destruction and damages caused by the quake. Thereafter, the Chief Minister also presented Memorandum of Relief under National Calamity ot the Prime Minister.

While addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister gave full assurance to the State by the Government of India. He suggested that relief and rehabilitation of quake victims should get utmost importance. Expert team on Earthquake Resistant Technology would be sent by the Central Government to assist the State in rebuilding its infrastructure, the Prime Minister added. Restoration and expansion of road network should be of highest priority.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the damages caused to schools, drinking water supply, flood control works, minor irrigation channels etc. Restoration of National monuments and religious institutions will also get priority. Other demands will also be considered favourably by the Government of India.

The Prime Minister announced an interim relief fund of Rs.1000 crores for immediate restoration and relief works of infrastructure. He expressed his heartfelt sadness at the destruction caused by the recent earthquake.

Assuring the people of Sikkim that the Sikkimese people were not alone but that the whole country stood by them in this hour of crisis, he added that all possible help will be extended in rebuilding the lives of the people of Sikkim.

He also advised the State Government to learn from its experience by using proper building technology and building bye laws, so as to be better prepared for future occurrences of earthquakes. In fact, he urged the Chief Minister to make Sikkim a model state in earthquake mitigation and show the way to other earthquake-prone States.

The Prime Minister visited the earthquake victims undergoing treatment here at Sir Tashi Namgyal Memorial (STNM) Hospital.

Chumbi Valley hit by recent earthquake

Observer News Service

Gangtok, Oct 1: The earthquake that rattled Sikkim more than a week ago also left a trail of devastation across the border in Tibet, inflicting widespread damage on life and property.

According to an assessment here, the Chinese People's Liberation Army has also suffered losses with its garrison at Yatung (Chumbi Valley) in Tibet, barely 40 kilometres away from Sikkim’s eastern border, taking the maximum hit, India Today reported.

Chumbipas living in the State also confirmed reports of death and destruction caused by the earthquake at places such as Phari, Galingkha and Kargyu monastery.

Reports hint that troops from the Yatung garrison were involved in a massive rescue and relief operation in the region. Independent reports suggest that at least 2,000 soldiers were taking part in the relief operation though the exact number of casualties in the area could not be ascertained.

Yatung has been one of the areas worst affected by the earthquake, with communication lines in the area having snapped completely. Seven persons were reportedly killed in the area by the recent earthquake.

Probe quake impact on dam sites, Centre tells seismic experts

Observer News Service

New Delhi, Oct 1: India’s power ministry has asked seismic experts from the Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee (IIT-R) to conduct earthquake impact studies at the dam sites of state-owned NHPC Ltd and North Eastern Electric Power Corp. Ltd (Neepco).

The Sikkim earthquake has raised questions on the future of India’s hydropower development. The 18 September 6.8 magnitude earthquake on the Sikkim-Nepal border has wreaked havoc in the Himalayan country and the Indian state, and scientists say the likelihood of a much greater earthquake in north India remains. The Wall Street Journal reported.

At least 118 people have been killed in Sikkim, West Bengal and Bihar in the quake.

Teesta Urja Ltd, which is building the 1,200MW Teesta-III project in Sikkim, suffered losses of personnel, with 17 people killed, one missing and 10 hurt.

The decision to take IIT-R’s help was taken at a review meeting last Thursday that was chaired by minister of state (power ministry) K.C. Venugopal, the report said.

“It was decided to avail the services of seismic experts from IIT-R to analyse earthquake data and conduct the earthquake impact study at the dam sites of NHPC in the region, and more specifically those in Sikkim,” the ministry said in a statement. “Neepco was also asked to compile the seismic data collected from its power stations in north-eastern states for further analysis at IIT-R.”

BJP raps govt on quake delay, hails army & BRO on relief efforts

Observer News Service

Gangtok, Oct 1: The State unit of the BJP has blamed the State Government for its inept handling of the recent devastating earthquake in the State which has led to loss of many lives and caused extensive damages all over the State.

  “During our visit, we found that only the Border Roads Organization and Army personnel were engaged throughout for rescue and other relief assistance. They were even providing food and shelter to the affected people,” said BJP State unit President Padam Chettri.

The Sikkim BJP chief who toured north Sikkim, the worst affected region with senior party leaders from Delhi, including

Bhagat Singh Koshiyari and Tapir Gao, said the high-level team has placed its report before the party high command.

The report said :“It will certainly take months to reconstruct the road and bridges. There is no guarantee that the communications will be restored to their original position.”

The report accused the State Government for failing take timely action to help quake victims: “It is also unfortunate that the Central and State Governments have not been able to provide requisite relief and assistance to the affected and the needy people living and surviving in the remote areas. For instance, essential commodities and medicines are not provided in those areas even after a week had passed.”

 The report added: “There are plenty of relief materials, personnel and equipments; but we found that there was no coordination and cooperation among the State, Central and other Voluntary Organizations. In fact we found that there was confusion among them. The officers connected with Disaster Management appeared to be unaware of their duties and responsibilities. Consequently, as stated above, there was no coordination in providing relief materials, rescue operation for the affected citizens.”

The report said “The first and foremost duty of public servants engaged in providing relief to the distressed people shall be to allocate definite works  - such as evacuation, medical assistance, food and shelter etc. - to the concerned employees with specific time frame prescribed according to the Relief Manual and relevant Guidelines.”

The BJP wants the Central Disaster Management Team “be pressed into service for providing relief and rescue operations on a war footing. We suggest that two to three helicopters should be immediately engaged on daily basis to evacuate the affected persons from Dzongu, Chungthang, Lachen and Lachung.”

SIBLAC demands suspension of all hydel projects

HILL MEDIA Network

Gangtok, Oct 1: The Sikkim Bhutia-Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) has demanded suspension of all activities relating to hydro electric power projects in the State till the submission of a report by an experts committee on the issue.

This was decided during a meeting of the organization held here this week where several local social activists participated.

SIBLAC has decided to constitute a People’s Forum on Earthquake to assess damages caused to affected areas of North Sikkim during the recent earthquake.

A 10-member Fact Finding Committee (FFC) headed by SIBLAC Convenor Tseten Tashi Bhutia has been constituted to assess quake damages in the tribal-dominated region of North Sikkim bordering Tibet and Nepal.

During its meeting SIBLAC also formed a drafting committee headed by Prof. Hem Lal Bhandari and three lawyers. The FFC is likely to visit earthquake affected areas of  North Sikkim district and submit its report to the Union Government and others, according to a press release of the organization.

During the meeting the members demanded constitution of an Independent High Powered Committee by the Union Government headed by retired Chief Justice of Supreme Court and that should comprise of experts in the field of seismology, structured engineering and geological science.

SIBLAC, an umbrella organization of the indigenous Bhutia-Lepcha tribals, said holy scriptures of Sikkimese Buddhism had already warned of the devastating destruction to the land and its people if the sacred and holy land was defiled. It said the authorities, due to greed for money and lust for power, failed to heed the warning.

To introspect on what went wrong, SIBLAC convened a meeting of concerned citizens and members of civil society here on Thursday which saw the participation of Prof. Hemlal Bhandari, professor and senior lawyer,  Bharat Basnet, President of SAFE, Navin Kiran Pradhan, President, ASEUA, Prem Goyal, President, Nagarik Suraksha Sangathan, Dr. Doma T Bhutia, senior lawyer and a human rights activist, S.P.Subba, retired civil servant, Jangpo Sherpa,  Supreme Court advocate, Dawa Lepcha, General Secretary, ACT, Pabitra Bhandari, senior journalist, Sonam Bhutia, Co-ordinator, NAAS, Gayching Bhutia, Advisor, Rongong Youth Club, Kamal Chamling “Kamrange’,  an eminent writer, Jigme W. Bhutia, advocate, and Punya Prasad Koirala, senior journalist.

Scrap hydel projects, save Sikkim: Bhandari    

Gangtok, Oct 1: Former Chief Minister and State Congress chief Nar Bahadur Bhandari has warned the Centre to scrap all hydel projects in the State if it wants “Sikkim to exist as a State.”

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Bhandari said the Sikkimese people want a “rethink” on all mega hydel projects in the State.

While demanding immediate scrapping of all hydel projects, seen as a big threat to Sikkim, Bhandari has also asked for a CBI probe into violation of labourAct by power project developers.

The Congress chief has also accused the State Government of flouting national guidelines and not floating tenders for allotment of power projects to private parties. These irregularities must be probed by the Central agencies, Bhandari said in the letter.

He pointed out that in the past scientists, experts, geologists and seismologist have advised against mega hydel projects in the State but this has been conveniently overlooked by the authorities.

“This is just the beginning of the end of Sikkim,” Bhandari warned and pointed out that the Centre should pay close attention to the State since it is located in a sensitive and strategic area.

'Sikkim quake may have been induced by dams across Teesta'

Darjeeling, Oct 1: Border Road Organisation (BRO) personnel use an explosive device to clear a landslide at Phengla on the outskirts of Gangtok after a 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit the region. Rescue teams backed by army sappers using explosives tried to force their way to the remote epicentre. Before the grim search for more victims can even begin, the main challenge is to reach the isolated, mountainous impact zone on the border between Sikkim and Nepal.

Professor Jeta Sankrityayan, former member State Planning Board, West Bengal and also a member of the landslide expert committee 1998, has opined that the presence of multiple dams on the river Teesta and its tributaries could either induce or accelerate earthquakes.

“In early 1970 a major earthquake in Maharashtra had been triggered by the Koyna dam located on the Sahyadri Hills. Though the role of the dams on the River Teesta in the recent quake is yet to be studied, the earthquake could have been induced or accelerated by the dams (dam induced seismicity )” feels Sankrityayan.

The committee on landslides, which had also studied the tectonic plate movement, had handed over recommendations to the government of West Bengal in 2000. The committee had recommended that no constructions should be allowed on the rivers.

The Central government’s “master vision” identifies the North-Eastern region as “India’s future powerhouse” by building about 168 dams in the region. To do this, the Teesta river in Sikkim is being extensively dammed.

Around 35 hydel power projects have been identified in this region with the Teesta Low Dam (TLD) project being the most prominent. The TLD project, harnesses the Teesta river, which originates in Sikkim and flows through North Bengal, creates a 332 MW capacity split into four stages.

The first two stages for a total of 100 MW are in Sikkim, while stage III of 100 MW and stage four of 132 MW are in West Bengal.

“It is very unfortunate that the Government does not pay heed to recommendations of its own committee for which the public have to suffer. Something more devastating can happen any day. It is time the public woke up and pressurized the Government to act more reasonably. Electricity in lieu of lives is not a very human option” added Sankrityayan.

The Himalayas are a young chain of mountains formed by the Indian tectonic plate colliding with the Eurasian plate.

While the river Teesta flows in a north-south direction, the Himalayan fault lines lie in the east west direction.

“A major fault line is located at Kalijhora (considered the best location to study Himalayan fault lines) and Teesta Low Dam Stage 4 is located at Kalijhora” stated Sankrityayan.

Explaining dam induced seismicity, Sankrityayan stated that owing to the dams checking the flow of the river, the water becomes heavy and starts going down, usually seeping into crevasse.

“Water being a new element in the faults and crevasses in the mountain, the mountain starts adjusting which causes the seismic movements” stated Sankrityayan. The very flow of Teesta is an indicator of the fault line.

While in Sikkim the Teesta flows is curves (zig zag) after Teesta Bazar in West Bengal it flows in a straight line which suggests that it could be flowing along fault line in West Bengal.

“Very few earthquake movements are in a North-South direction but the 6.8 magnitude quake which hit Sikkim and this region was in a North-South movement. The epicenter was at the base of Mount Kanchenjunga. The mountain moved.”

“It took a mere two seconds for the earthquake to reach North Bengal University near Siliguri in the plains from Gangtok which is very unusual” stated the Professor. The shake intensity recorded was 7 Mercalli in Mangan, 38 km from the epicenter and 7 Mercalli in Siliguri 144 km away from Mangan. Gangtok too recorded a shake intensity of 7 Mercalli, stated Sankrityayan. 

“A full scale inspection and study should be conducted by geologists and earth scientists into the recent quake and on the dam induced seismicity. It should be an independent probe not influenced by the Government. We should not be accelerating or bringing in such natural events otherwise we will definitely have to pay a dear price” suggested the Professor. (The Hindustan Times)

Sikkim earthquake unusual, say geologists

Observer News Service

Bangalore, Oct 1: The earthquake that rocked Sikkim on September 18 is unusual in terms of its magnitude and nature of origin, say leading geologists.

"There is nothing surprising in this earthquake as the region north of Sikkim, which forms the outliers of Tibetan tectonics, is known for moderate earthquakes in the past," C.P. Rajendran at the Indian Institute of Science here told IANS.

But what makes it different is its "unusually greater magnitude".

These earthquakes are different in the sense they are along the somewhat north-south structures trending transverse to the east-west Himalayan axis, Rajendran said. They are different from the usual Himalayan thrust earthquakes that are caused by the collision of the Indian plate with the Eurasian plate.

Vineet Gahaulat at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) in Hyderabad said: "The (Sikkim) earthquake highlights the presence of the role of transverse features in the Himalayas."

"This 6.9 magnitude earthquake possibly occurred on a northwest-southeast trending almost vertical fault through strike slip motion."

"This is what we generally do not expect in the Himalayas," Gahaulat said. "We expect large magnitude earthquakes on the detachment having thrust motion on gently dipping planes - like the 1999 Chamoli and 1991 Uttarkashi earthquakes."

Gahaulat said the role of transverse features in segmenting the Himalayan arc and accommodating some of the convergence of the India-Eurasia plates have been talked about earlier.

"But this one (Sikkim quake) makes it clearer as this is possibly the largest magnitude earthquake of this type in the Himalayas."

Gahaulat is also surprised at the fewer number of aftershocks - only two to three aftershocks of magnitude greater than 4.5. "So where are all the aftershocks gone? Are they yet to occur in the following days," he asked.

According to Gahaulat, "we need to be careful" if, in the coming days, the aftershocks occur southeast of the main shock epicentre - the way two aftershocks have occurred.

"The region where the main shock occurred has very low population density, but further southeast, population density is higher," he cautioned.

"The occurrence of this earthquake does not lower down the threat from the great earthquake which we expect in the Himalayas," the NGRI scientist warned.

The one (or more) which is expected will be a thrust type earthquake on the detachment which will be much more devastating than this one, he said.

"We need to treat each and every earthquake in a special way, you just need to turn it around and it will tell a somewhat different story."

Rajendran, however, does not think this particular event in Sikkim can be treated as a precursory signal to any major earthquake that may occur in future along the Himalayan arc.

"Having said that, the fact remains that some historically earthquake-deficient parts of the Himalayas has the potential to generate large earthquakes any time, irrespective of the present earthquake," he cautioned.

PERSPECTIVE

9/18 Earthquake: Wake-up call for all Sikkimese

By Deyang Dolkar Gyatso

This article is dedicated to my Beloved Uncle Late Yab Tashi Tobgay Tobden (01.12.1948 - 06.04.2009) and Aunt Late Chum Chukie Tobden Wakjilingpa (28.11.1954-06.04.2009)…mentor, friend, confidant … guardian angels, who taught me how unique and precious Sikkim really is.

It has been said that whatever doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, and I know that this stands true for every Sikkimese since that frightfully, petrifying episode of an earthquake (6-9 Richter Scale, Sept 18, 2011) that jolted the otherwise composed place that we call home – SIKKIM.

The finest part of it all, however, is that everyone is chipping in to do their bit…and it just doesn’t get better than this. I only wish the people, who I know and who really cared about Sikkim, were here to see this today. So, I’m going to dedicate this note to the people who repeatedly recounted the history of Sikkim to me ever since I can remember and how we could be going about it in the wrong direction. It all makes sense to me now and I earnestly hope it does the same for you, too.

After much thought and a little bit of looking deeper within I couldn’t help but notice how blessed the place really is. Let me explain myself and see if you can help me make sense of the statement I just made.

Here’s a brief background history of Sikkim that I have borrowed and would love for all to read, discuss, question, answer, argue, portray, accept, reject, represent – but above all be conscious of so we all recognise how special and unique this place really is… so that we all know where we’ve come from… so we all have a sense of belonging… so we know how much is really at stake.

Sikkim is a land blessed by Mahaguru Padmasambhava, popularly known as Guru Rinpoche, in the 8th century AD. Dey-jong Nay-yik (descriptive scriptures about Sikkim) and Ney-sol Pecha (prayer texts dedicated to Sikkim deities) have given detailed accounts of Sikkim as bey-yul or a hidden land. These Buddhist scriptures mention about three stages of discovery and civilization in Sikkim as early period, middle period and later or modern period. The records mention about the existence of Lepcha tradition prior to these periods.

Ghangchhen mZod Nga, the main protector deity of Sikkim, identified as Mount Ghangchhen – mZod – Nga (Kanchenjunga) is blessed by Guru Rinpoche. In Sikkim, this sacred mountain peak surrounded by hundreds and thousands of other peaks, lakes, rocks, trees/groves and meadows are regarded as the abodes of local deities of Sikkim. In the early period, Chenreyzig, Dolma Tronyerchen and Guru Rinpoche, accompanied by his foremost 25 disciples, blessed this land and marked Tashiding, West Sikkim, as the centre of the Holy Land.

At the four directions of Tashiding, four holy caves blessed by Guru Rinpoche are located. In the middle period, Terton Rigzing Goedemchen (1337- 1408) located and blessed this hidden land. The later period commenced with the advent of the Naljor Chedshi in the middle of the 17th century AD as per Guru Rinpoche’s prophesy. The modern history of Sikkim dates back to the 17^th century when three incarnates of Guru Rinpoche – Lhatsun Namkha Jigme, Kathok Rigzing Kuntu Zangpo and Gnadak Sempa Phuntsog Rigzing – enthroned the first Chogyal (Dharma King), Phuntsog Namgyal at Norbugang, Yuksam in West Sikkim.

Records reveal that Phuntsog Namgyal assumed the seat of Dharma King in 1642 AD. The main consecration at Yuksam took place in 1646. Till that period, the hidden land was under the charge of Mon Thekongsalang, a Lepcha chief blessed by Guru Rinpoche as ‘Nadak’ (protector of the holy land). The evidence of these historic facts in existence are the foot prints and body marks of Guru Rinpoche on rocks and in holy caves and the stone coronation throne at Yuksam. Other evidences are the foot prints of Gyalwa Lhatsun Chenpo at Yuksam Norbugang and seat of Mon Thekongsalang at Thrakthungrong in West Sikkim.

Dejong Nayyik gives the description of Sikkim as Bayyul Demo Jong written in many Buddhist scriptures discovered or revealed by a number of Tertons (Dharma treasure revealers).

Naysol Pecha, another book written by Gyalwa Lhatsun Chenpo, is a prayer text describing the whole range of Sikkim as Phu (interior), Dha (lower) and Bar (middle) parts as regions where guardian/local deities were posted for the protection of the land. He has given detailed names of the deities reminding them of the promises made to Guru Rinpoche. Forseeing, the possibility of defilement of these abodes of deities in future, words were put in the book to appease them by prayers and offerings of sang, serkyem and tsog.

For me, it made sense that since we, as followers of Guru Rinpoche, cannot seem to take care of our precious inheritance so unique to Sikkim, and/or go about important religious ceremonies in a slap-dash way. Maybe we deserved what we got. In fact – call me a cynic – but I would’ve actually expected it sooner.

Now, on to the monasteries, especially those that have been affected by the devastating earthquake. The most holy chhorten (stupa) in Sikkim is at Tashiding built in 1716. So sacred it is that the mere act of beholding it is supposed to cleanse one from all sins. Its full title is Thon-wa rang dol, or “Liberation by Mere Sight.” It owes its special sanctity to its reputedly containing some of the funereal granules of the Buddha antecedent to Sakya Muni, the relics having been deposited there by Namkha Jigme Pawo, the third incarnate of Lhatsun Chenpo. As a result of this repute it is a favourite destination for Buddhist pilgrims.

The legendary Bhumchhu event is held at Tashiding annually on the fifteenth day of the first lunar calendar. It might not be out of place to mention here that the Holy Water to fill the vase for the Bhumchhu is collected from Rothongchu river in West Sikkim.

The oldest monastery in Sikkim, Dubde (“the hermits cell”) in Yuksom, was founded by the pioneer Gyalwa Lhatsun Chenpo in 1642. I would recommend every Sikkimese to pay this blessed and ancient monastery a visit in his/her lifetime. Sangachholing (also in West Sikkim), meaning “the place of secret spells”, is open to all members of all classes of Sikkim, including females and deformed persons. It was built in 1697.

It is said that Pemiongchi monastery, meaning “the sublime perfect lotus”, was designed, if not actually built, by Gyalwa Lhatsun Chenpo as a high class monastery for ta-sang (“pure monks”) of pure lhopo race, celibate and undeformed. Significantly, only the monks of Pemiongchi monastery in Sikkim enjoy the title of ta-sang and to its lamas is reserved the honour of anointing with holy waters the reigning Sovereign, meaning only the Pemiongchi monks are entitled to consecrate the Chogyals of Sikkim.

The Enchey Monastery, meaning the “high strong place”, was built in 1840. Folklore has it that a famous Lama Dubthob Karpu flew from Mainam, in Yangang (south Sikkim) to the present Enchey Monastery (Gangtok) site for meditation. The monastery stands on the very site of meditation. A place revered and respected and in some ways feared this is another very important monastery that literally unifies sentient beings from all walks of life.

So maybe – just  maybe – this (9/18 quake) is a wake-up call for us all to remind us how special Beyul Denjong truly is and how much is really at stake here. Let this event not be some fairy-tale, some grandma’s tale a hundred years down the line but a reality like it feels to me even today, in spite of all the scepticism that might surround it. Every Sikkimese has the right to know our history, the way it has been told from time immemorial, the way I have known it myself and the way we can tell it to the future generations. (HILL MEDIA Network)

SIKKIM OBSERVER Sept 24-30, 2011

PM to visit Sikkim on Sept 27

Gangtok, Sept 23: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to visit Sikkim next week on September 27.

According to Information and Public Relations Secretary K S Tobgay, said the State Government will submit a report on damages caused by Sunday’s earthquake to the Prime Minister during his visit here.

Briefing the media at the newly-established Media Centre here today, Tobgay said the death toll of the quake has risen to 77 and about 700 persons have been injured.

Government employees of the State Government has also decided to contribute one day of their salary to the quake victims, the Secretary said.

In order to effectively implement relief and rehabilitation works in North Sikkim, former North Sikkim District Collector TN Kazi has been appointed overall charge of North Sikkim Relief Operations.

In a major disaster the residential building belonging to Sports Secretary Karma Bhutia here in the capital collapsed last evening. Luckily, Bhutia and members of his family managed to get out of the house two minutes before the crash.

Several buildings at the vicinity of Bhutia’s building here at Vajra cinema hall complex have also been badly damaged.

People demand scrapping of mega hydel projects

Gangtok, Sept 23: In Tibetan Buddhism Sikkim is considered one of the few sacred and ‘hidden’ places for Buddhist pilgrims. Defilement of such places leads to unnatural calamities such as the one experienced on Sunday when a 6.9 magnitude earthquake gave a massive jolt to the Himalayan State killing more than 70 persons and causing extensive damages all over the State.

More and more people are now beginning to feel that the main reason for the largescale destruction to life and properties is because of the umpteen number of hydel projects coming up in the State, particularly in north Sikkim, the source of Teesta, the largest river in the State.

Senior Congress leader KN Upreti is convinced that power project companies are not revealing the real truth on lives lost during the tremor. “They are concealing the facts on deaths that occurred during the quake and thereafter,” Upreti said.

While urging the government to probe into the matter, Upreti said labour unions must “dig out the truth.”

A local contractor in North Sikkim said, “More than 700 persons are killed in the vicinity of the power projects but the authorities are keeping mum mainly because they have to pay a lot of compensation.”

The Sikkim Bhutia-Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) President Tseten Tashi Bhutia has blamed Governor BP Singh for ignoring his plea on scrapping the “anti-Buddhist power projects” in the State.

“Despite being apprised on the religious aspect and significance on the matter on numerous occasions” Singh remained a “mute spectator.”

“At this hour of natural tragedy, we stand by the Government and the earthquake victims and also, once again request it to immediately scrap those insensible power projects that pollute or desecrate the very sanctity of our dharma,” Bhutia said in a press statement.

He added, “We support and express gratitude to the National Minority Commission (India Government) for having advising the Government of Sikkim to scrap all the anti-Buddhist mega power projects.”

“The area between Chungthang and Toong near Mangan, which is the worst affected has many sacred pilgrimage centres of Guru Rinpoche, who visited Sikkim in the 8^th century,” said T. Lachenpa.

Mayalmit Lepcha, an anti-mega dam social activist associated with Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT), which unsuccessfully organized a 915-day hunger strike a few years back protesting against hydel projects in north Sikkim, has urged all Sikkimese to pressure the authorities to scrap the ongoing 14 mega power projects in north Sikkim.

“We once again, with folded hand, call upon the policymakers to once again rethink, re-assess and scrap all 14- mega power projects from the region that are either under operation,” Lepcha, who hails from Dzongu in north Sikkim, said in a statement.

In response to agitated tribals the State Government has decided to send a team of officials to Lachen in north Sikkim in a chopper if the weather is good. Information and Public Relations Secretary KS Tobgay said the team would ascertain the damages caused by the quake and other relief and rehabilitation to be taken.

JIgme N Kazi

CM visit north Sikkim

Gangtok, Sept 23: Five days after the devastating earthquake Chief Minister Pawan Chamling finally visited Mangan, headquarters of north Sikkim, one of the four districts most affected by Sunday’s earthquake. Mangan and its adjoining areas – Pagong and Chungthang – were the epicenter of the 6.9 magnitude earthquake.

Chief Secretary Karma Gyatso while holding a high-level coordination meeting here today to review relief operation work in the State said the Chief Minister left for Mangan this morning “to make an assessment of the damages caused by the recent earthquake and to listen to the people’s grief and to oversee the rescue and relief operations.” From there the Chief Minister will proceed to south and west districts, Gyatso said.

The meeting was attended by Heads of all the Departments, GOC,17 Mountain Division, Chief Engineer, Border Roads Organisation, representatives from SSB, ITBP, National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF) and other agencies.

Gyatso said funds have also been sanctioned during the meeting held on 22nd September chaired by the Chief Minister for the Gram Panchayat Units. He also apprised that the meeting also sanctioned Rs. 5 lakhs to each Gram Panchayat, Rs. 10 lakhs each to the Pipon of Lachen and Lachung, Rs. 50 lakhs to each District Collector, Rs. 10 lakhs each to the Sub Division Magistrate and Rs. 5 Lakhs each to the Block Development Officers over and above their regular miscellaneous expenditure for relief and rehabilitation works.

One lakh each to the relief camps was also sanctioned in the meeting. The Chief Secretary informed that about hundred relief camps are established in the state which is supervised by the Block Development Officers.

What is noteworthy is that the State Government had directed the Secretary Information and Public Relations (IPR) Department for setting up Media Centre in the capital.

Mediapersons are having great difficulty in obtaining necessary informations related to the recent quake. “When you go to the information centre here to get the right picture of the state of affairs in the entire state we are directed to go to the police headquarters. When the police HQ is approached the officials tell us to go to IPS Secretary. It’s very frustrating,” said a local journalist.

There is absolute no information of the situation in Lachen in extreme north Sikkim  bordering Tibet. Reports indicate only one non-local died in Lachen and damages to houses and buildings are minor. However, there are strong rumours of “larva flow” at the sacred Gurudongmar lake. Unconfirmed reports say that Tso Lhamu,the source of Teesta river in Lachen has burst.

Police and intelligence sources cannot still confirm this rumour. “There is no communication from Lachen and the authorities have focused on Chungthang and Lachung only,” said a frustrated Lachenpa in the capital.

IS THE BIG ONE COMING? 

Dr. Sonam B. Wangyal

In 1994 Himalmagazine (Kathmandu) ran an article by R. Bilham who is with the Department of Geological Sciences in the University of Colorado, USA. The periodical being a bit academic with a pricey tag attached to it the readership was restricted to a limited numbers of readers and therefore Bilham's article did not cause the tremor it could and should have. His article on the chances of a great earthquake in the near future in the Himalayan region shook me very strongly and the aftershocks kept on coming for many days. The essay was discussed with many of my friends and they lampooned me as a believer of a doomsday merchant. My knowledge of the mechanisms leading to an earthquake was at best scanty, and not knowing anything beyond what I had read there was really no way that I could hold the fort during our discussions. Nevertheless, Bilham's article still shakes me and after the recent Gujarat quake my mind is often troubled with tremors of a much higher intensity.

I shall endeavour to explain Bilham's hypothesis in the simplest language possible. The earth's surface consists of a number of large, rigid plates that move relative to one another and interact at their boundaries. Some billions of years ago the northward moving Indian plate slipped underneath the Asian plate pushing it both horizontally northwards and upwards. This led to the upheavals forming the Himalaya. The movement still continues and the convergence rate of India towards Tibet is 2cm a year and that is compensated by the Indian plate slipping under the Asian plate. However, if the slip does not occur it would mean that 2cm of convergence remains stored in the rocks as elastic strain. If no slip has occurred in 100 years the stored strain would be 2cm X 100 or 2m, in 200 years 4m and should the slip occur after 500 years the movement would be 10m resulting in a mega-quake of around M=8 (or a reading of 8 on the Richter Scale).

Any major compensatory movement requires an event exceeding M=7 and Bilham's observation is that in the Himalayan segment between Kathmandu and Dehradun has not had that for several thousands of years. The records show only two large earthquakes, 1803 and 1833, and Bilham does not believe they were great earthquakes else they would have caused massive devastations and the British administration would have records of the widespread destruction and the efforts taken for reconstruction. It therefore appears that the chance of a great earthquake is real since sometime in the future the plates must make an adjustment. Of course a pent up force of several thousands of years never undergoes adjustment in just one big shake-up but the alarming arithmetic is that even if 500 years were to be adjusted the movement would be 10m and such an event would measure Magnitude Eight on the Richter Scale. 

To understand the effects of an M=8 plus event we can study the Great Bihar Earthquake of 1934, which did not evidently cross M=8, but came close to it. At 2:13 pm on 15 January two million square miles of northern India and western Nepal shook violently for 5 minutes. It took another 15 minutes for ceiling lamps to stop swinging in Calcutta and many more days for the dust to settle from the landslides in the mountains of Nepal. At Darjeeling a number of badly constructed houses totally collapsed, in many buildings cracks appeared or walls fell out and lots of bungalows were damaged by the fall of masonry chimneys crashing through the roofs. A ground fissure, over 300 yards long, appeared below the station yard in Tindharia and numerous breaches were seen all along the cart road. Should a Nepal-Dehradun great earthquake occur then north Bengal is assured of some consequences just as in the case of Bihar Earthquake. The point is not when it will come, since earthquakes are inevitable and necessary features of adjustment between the tectonic plates, but of our preparedness. Matters like maintenance of essential supplies, handling fire hazards, law and order problems, outbreak of diseases, post shock syndrome counseling and the eventual reconstruction are but a few of the many things that will need a look into. However, the greatest tragedy and hurt will be the loss of lives and that can never be restored but, and it is ,an important but, it can be prevented. Studies of earthquakes have shown that the major cause of deaths has always been due to poorly constructed buildings. Over the past few decades buildings have mushroomed all over the hills of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and Sikkim and are these structures built according to any studied and proven system of seismic resistant building codes or have they been built under outdated or whimsical codes will need to be considered seriously. That even these codes can be bypassed was proven a large building in Gangtok going down recently without the violence of an earthquake and such a vulnerable building could not be an isolated case. It is never too early to begin the process to prevent loss of lives but I could be talking to the wall, for all you know or care.

A Lachenpa dies in Mangan after the deadly 9/18 quake

“May we be reunited for a worthy cause”

Hill Media Network

Mangan, Sept 23:  Tenzing Danen, eldest son of late Lachen Yapla (RN Kazi) of Lachen, North Sikkim, died in Mangan a day after the terrible earthquake on Sunday (Sept 18).

Danen was rushed to the Mangan hospital on Sept 17 when he complained of severe head and stomach ache. The sudden earthquake which took place at around 6.10 pm on Sunday (9/18) shook the whole area. Everyone fled from the hospital, leaving  Danen and his wife there.

Shaken up by the tremor (6.8 magnitude) Danen and his wife left the hospital and returned to their home at the Power Department Colony located near Mangan bazaar. Already suffering from high blood pressure the tremor that shook the whole of Sikkim added to his agony. Mangan, headquarters of North Sikkim district, was the epicenter of the powerful earthquake that has led to more than 70 deaths in the State. Damages to houses, buildings, roads all over the State, particularly in North Sikkim, is extensive.

At home  Danen fell in his bathroom leading to further deterioration of his condition. He was rushed to the hospital again late Monday (9/19) afternoon and died soon after at around 4.30 pm.

The funeral took place at Pentok in Mangan on Wednesday (9/21). Since the areas (Chungthang, Lachen and Lachung) around Mangan were totally cut off by the quake and subsequent landslides none of his family members, relatives and friends could attend the funeral which was led by Nade Tsampa Lama and Lachung Khenpo.

Other family members, relatives and friends from the rest of Sikkim also could not attend the funeral since the road communication and other communication systems in the State snapped after the tragic incident of 9/18. However, his younger brother Jigme N Kazi and his wife Tsering and  family members, his sisters from Ben (South Sikkim) and Gangtok and some of their family members  made it to the funeral.

Members of  Danen’s family wish to thank all those who took great risks to attend the funeral and personally be with the bereaved family. They have also expressed their deep sense of appreciation and a special ‘thank you’ to the people of Mangan who helped them in our hour of bereavement. The residents of Mangan, already traumatized by the deadly quake and still living in fear and apprehension, extended their support and sympathy to the bereaved family when it was really needed.

Tenzing Danen (61), an ex-student of Gangtok’s Tashi Namgyal Academy (TNA), was the eldest son of former Lachen Pipon, late Rinzing Namgyal Kazi (Lachen Yapla). Danen was perhaps the third Lachenpa to come to study in Gangtok in the late 1950s. Since 1968 and till his demise, Danen has been working in roads, bridges and buildings construction works in the State as a contractor.

But more than a contractor he was a social worker – a simple person who was always there for everyone when they needed him. He will, therefore, be deeply missed and forever remembered by those who knew him. He is survived by his wife (Rinchen) and 8-year-old son Tashi Pintso.

A message to the deceased from his family members: “You lived a good life. Your good karma and the blessings of the gods and great beings and our prayers will carry you through your journey to a good rebirth. May we be reunited and live together again for a worthy cause.”

Mangan Residents disgusted with authorities

Mangan, Sept 22: Many local residents of this small town, the epicenter of Sunday’s massive quake, are disgusted with the authorities, including the army, for not doing enough after the disaster.

“The officials hold meetings for hours and nothing happens after that,” said an angry local resident. “The authorities need to visit the affected areas, particularly the villages,” he added.

The North Sikkim Highway has been closed to traffic after the quake and the only lifeline to this district is the Singtam-Dikchu-Mangan road. On Tuesday (Sept 20) this route was closed down at two places for about 4 hours due to landslides.

The first landslide took place near Dikchu town, where the Teesta Stage V hydel project dam is located. “Both the State government and the army claim that relief workers and GREF personnel are on the alert to help the people. Where are they”, said a villager near Dikchu.

When a huge boulder had blocked this route below Thingchim near Rangrang below Mangan no one came to clear the road despite informing the authorities in Gangtok and Mangan. Passengers of the 30 odd vehicles which got stuck on the road did the clearing themselves.

“Seven houses were damaged in our village during the earthquake but so far no one has come to our rescue,” said a villager near Rangrang.

Residents of Dikchu town, which is on the verge of being submerged because of the dam water, were panicking. When asked about their distress Arun Oberoi, a local resident, said, “We are told that Tso Lhamu lake has busted and we are ordered to evacuate to go up higher.”

Tso Lhamu lake in northern Lachen is the source of the Teesta, the biggest river in the State, which flows down Lachen, through Chungthang, Mangan, Dikchu, Rongpo and Siliguri in the plains.

The Teesta looked awfully muddy in the past two weeks and it is worse after the quake. “Since the Dikchu-Mangan road is the only road linking Mangan with the rest of the State it is very important that the authorities give priority to this route on a hourly basis,” said T. Bhutia, a Mangan resident.

Several persons in Mangan said hundreds have been killed during and after the quake but the authorities, including hydel project officials, have kept mum. “They have either been buried under the rubble or trapped in the tunnels,” said a local contractor.

“Several people traveled through the tunnel to reach Mangan from Chungthang,” a government official in Mangan said.

“I wanted to go to my village in Lachung but when I came across two dead bodies near Toong (near Teesta in between Mangan and Chungthang) I got scared and came back,” said a younger man from Lachung working for Teesta Stage V in Dikchu.

Residents in Mangan continue to sleep outside their houses even three days after the tragic incident. There was another quake in Mangan at around 1 pm on Tuesday night which forced many to leave their houses in the middle of the night. A huge landslide in Dzongu, opposite Mangan, followed the tremour.

“I am very disgusted with the government taking advantage of the tragic situation. The government claims that one lac buildings have been damaged in the State. Where are the one lac buildings? Our population is just six lacs,” said a senior government official.

Locals here are more than convinced that tragedy was compounded mainly because of the construction works, including tunnels, of mega hydel projects in the State which mainly lie in north Sikkim. The Teesta project in Chungthang and nearby Pegong in north Sikkim is 1200MW. This region is the worst affected.

“We tried our best to oppose the projects but the government was adamant. Now the mountain gods have struck and the people realize what is happening,” said an observer.

Editorial

THE WRATH OF GOD

Heed The Warning, Scrap Mega Hydel Projects

We have been warned many times to respect and preserve our natural environment and cultural heritage. For nearly a thousand days the Lepchas of Sikkim, who live close to nature, spoke to us of the need to scrap all mega hydel projects in north Sikkim. The authorities, motivated by their greed and lust for power, did not heed the warning and made the hunger strikers suffer in silence. Eventually, a deal was struck at high level with the usual power-brokers playing a key role in the negotiation and the protest was called off reluctantly.

Men’s extremity is God’s opportunity. Nature will surely come to the rescue of those who support it. Former Chief Minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari is convinced that there is devi and dewta in Sikkim though, at times, they react at a slow pace. The earthquake (6.9 on the Richter Scale) that shook Sikkim on September 18 is a grim warning to those who continue to suppress the voice of reason and the just and democratic aspirations of the people. The area between Mangan and Chungthang in north Sikkim, where many mega hydel projects are located, has been the worst affected not only because of  it being the epicenter but also because of the tremendous damage done to the environment and ecology of the region by project construction workers.

Most of the dead in this area are workers at the construction works of the projects and are basically non-locals. Though damages to properties by the quake throughout the State and particularly in the Mangan-Chungthang-Lachen-Lachung region has been extensive the loss of lives has been minimal compared to the magnitude of the quake. In such a major shake-up thousands would have surely lost their life. The peace-loving and religious people of Sikkim are convinced that while it is the wrath of the mountain gods (yul-lha-zhibda) that struck Sikkim on 9/18 their protecting deities also saved them from a major catastrophe. It is noteworthy that the Lachenpas who stiffly opposed hydel projects in their area have been spared while those who gave up their fight mid-way and those who welcomed mega hydel projects are now living in fear and tension. This indeed is a stern warning for everyone, particularly to those in high places whose decisions, major or minor, affect the lives of the people.

Mamata visits Sikkim, reaches out to people

Observer News Service

  Gangtok, Sept 23: The Chief Minister of West Bengal  Mamta Banerjee on Tuesday assured all assistance to Sikkim to cope up with  the problems facing  the State in the wake of a massive earthquake that followed a trail of devastation in terms of human casualties and loss of properties.

 After her arrival here she drove straight to the Central Manipal Referral Hospital at Tadong and saw the condition of  the earthquake victims who are undergoing treatment.  She enquired about the condition of patients undergoing treatment with the doctors attending on them. She was accompanied by Union Minister Mukul Roy and  Sikkim Lok Sabha MP P D Rai during the visit.

          Mamata later visited Tashi Namgyal Memorial Hospital (STNM) to see for herself  the condition of the earthquake victims. The visit of West Bengal Chief Minister is seen as expression of her personal sympathy with the earthquake victims in their hour of suffering.

          The General Officer Commanding –in- Chief of the Eastern Command of the Army Lieutenant  General  Bikram Singh called on the Governor and Chief Minister and assured all help in relief and rescue operations in the affected areas.

          Briefing the media, General Singh said that some five thousand five hundred army personnel are undertaking the relief and rescue work in the State. Three thousand of them are deployed in the North district alone. Besides, two hundred more have reached Mangan by road on Tuesday morning. He said, thirty army personnel were air dropped at Mangan and twenty five at Chungthang to help in the operations. General Singh said, army helicopters have taken thirty critically injured persons to the Army Hospital at Bengdubi near Siliguri in West Bengal which included fourteen civilians. Describing the situation in the North district   beyond Chungthang as very bad, he expressed confidence that things will come to normal very soon.

Power Ministry directs NHPC to help with relief & rehabilitation

Observer News Service

New Delhi, Sept 23: Ministry of Power asks NHPC to assist Sikkim Government in earthquake  relief and rehabilitation work.

Ministry of Power has asked the National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) to extend all possible assistance to State Government of Sikkim to bring normalcy to the earthquake affected areas near NHPC’s Teesta Hydel Power Station and Rangit Hydel Power Station in the State.

Minister of State for Power K.C. Venugopal held a review meeting in New Delhi on the situation in the State and asked the NHPC to act on a war footing and spare its men & machinery for clearing the roads and other rehabilitation works.

The Minister also took stock of the post-earth quake situation at 510 MW Teesta Hydel Power Station and 60 MW Rangit Hydel Power Station. In the review meeting, it was decided to avail the services of seismic experts from IIT Roorkee to analyse the earthquake data and conduct the earthquake impact study at the dam sites of NHPC in the region and more specifically those in Sikkim.

Apart from this, an Expert Team of Geologists, Engineers and senior executives of NHPC from its Headquarters in Delhi was also asked to visit the site and submit report to the Ministry. Power Supply position in Gangtok was also reviewed and Power Grid Corporation was instructed to expedite restoration of power. North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) was also asked to compile the seismic data collected from its power stations in North Eastern States for further analysis at IIT Roorkee. (pib)

Anger over 'lethargic response' to Sikkim quake

By Suvojit Bagchi

In parts of the earthquake-hit Indian state of Sikkim, conditions on the ground are little short of apocalyptic.

Entire areas are cut off because of landslides - and more often than not people are without clean water, adequate food supplies, medicine and telephone contact with the outside world.

Sikkim's hospitals have seldom been so full.

With local people bereft of help, it is hardly surprising that this disaster has created some resentment among them.

I experienced this overwhelming sense of frustration near Mangan - the epicentre of Sunday's quake - when a group of villagers stopped my car and demanded an explanation.

"Why are reporters focusing on the good work by the government, while no aid has reached any of the villages?" one of them angrily demanded.

Such was the angst of villagers that they seized my equipment and only returned it only after extracting a promise from me that I would report the "real story".

One of them, Rasi Tobgay, spoke for many when describing the destruction on the ground and the suffering of local people.

"It is impossible to take the seriously injured to the hospital because army helicopters are hovering with ministers in the sky," he said.

'Inactive' authorities

The villagers say little aid has been delivered beyond Mangan, although food packets have been air-dropped intermittently by the Indian air force.

 It is estimated that about 100,000 houses have been damaged

Chungthang is in the southern end of north Sikkim and it is in this area that the quake has been the most catastrophic.

Hardly any parts of north Sikkim, connecting India to Tibetan plateau, have received any substantial aid since Sunday.

Action Aid spokeswoman Banamallika Choudhury - who has reached Chungthang - told the BBC that there have been no more than one or two daily helicopter sorties.

"Two helicopters can carry no more than three or four tonnes of food or medical supplies - and that is nothing for thousands of villagers," she said.

Ms Choudhury says that apart from rescuing a handful of tourists, the authorities have remained largely "inactive" in the face of a huge humanitarian disaster.

"The roads are still cut off, there is no supply of electricity or telephone connectivity and the villagers have to arrange for the rebuilding of houses while providing first aid to the injured," she said.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

Conditions are going from bad to worse as more patients arrive for treatment having walked from distant villages to Gangtok”

Doctor in Gangtok

Ms Choudhury says that local people "harassed" journalists who arrived in Chungthang on Wednesday night because they believe that the media has unthinkingly projected only the government's side of the story.

So has the response of the authorities been inadequate? Whatever the answer, there is no doubt they face numerous formidable challenges.

Principal among these are landslides, still taking place on a regular basis because of the quake and because recent heavy rainfall has loosened much of the mountainous land mass.

The state government may be stating the obvious when it reiterates that aid cannot get through while roads remained blocked, but it remains a valid point.

One such post-quake landslide recently washed away several houses in Jaangu area, close to Chungthang.

"We are still counting the casualties," Sikkim government spokesman KS Tobgay told the BBC.

Bombarded by boulders

While the main road link connecting Sikkim to mainland India - national highway 31A - has reopened with a disturbed traffic flow, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) employees say that the task of clearing the highways is not getting any easier.

 Relief is being delivered, but critics say it is too little, too late

"We are working around the clock but even then traffic movement remains disrupted," BRP spokesman Rajaram Pal told me.

He said that the loosening of the land mass meant that no sooner had the highway been "cleaned" than more rocks and trees would fall down on top of it from the surrounding mountains.

One such landslide killed at least 17 workers in a hydropower plant in Chungthang, with employees literally bombarded by falling boulders.

The Sikkim government has admitted that the situation in north Sikkim is worrying and "no solution is in sight in the immediate future".

Mr Tobgay says that while "roads are being totally washed away" in and around Chungthang, it will take time to re-establish communication links.

In the meantime government officials at the forefront of the relief effort have been left with no option other than to trek 30-40km (18-24 miles) to reach places like Chungthang, Lachen, Lachung and Thangu valley, all close to India's border with Tibet.

So while the government relief effort is getting off the ground - with aid workers, doctors and disaster management teams being air-dropped in some areas - the numbers are small and the need is great.

On Wednesday there were 18 helicopter sorties that carried about 40 tonnes of food packets and medical supplies.

"That by no standard is adequate for hundreds of thousands of people," a government official said.

Meanwhile in the state capital Gangtok water supplies are becoming increasingly irregular. The state government has announced that water will only be supplied on alternate days in municipal areas.

If poor sanitation and water-borne diseases become problems, hospitals in the city are already flooded with patients, most with broken limbs.

"Conditions are going from bad to worse as more patients arrive for treatment, having walked from distant villages to Gangtok," one doctor in the city told me.

With no hope in sight for the beleaguered inhabitants of north Sikkim, the Indian home minister is visiting Gangtok "to take stock of the situation".

He does not need a team of advisers to realise that the state is facing its worst crisis in recent years and that the under-powered relief effort now needs to move into top gear. (BBC)