Guwahati: Troops of the Trishakti Corps of the Indian Army are undertaking massive operations to reconnect villages that have been cut off after the recent floods devastated several parts of the state.
The operation intends to restore connectivity to North Sikkim through Chungthang, which is among the worst-affected areas.
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The troops of the Indian Army undertook a challenging operation through difficult terrain to reach the isolated village of Rabom, North West of Chungthang, and rescued nearly 200 civilians who have been stranded for the past few days.
Over the last five days, multipronged efforts have been launched, which include, ensuring sustenance of all places cut off by troops present there, and where troops are not present, restoration of communication and connectivity to the cut-off places for immediate use, damage assessment and planning for long-term reconstruction work.
Immediate account has been taken of all the tourists and locals in the areas of Chaten, Lachen, Lachung and Thangu in North Sikkim.
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A list of around 2,000 tourists, including 63 foreign nationals, has been compiled and assistance is being provided in terms of food, medical aid, accommodation and telephone connectivity.
A helpline has also been provided through which relatives of all the tourists are informed about the wellbeing of the tourists. This effort will continue till they are evacuated. With the improvement of weather, air evacuation of tourists began on Monday.
Another action being undertaken by the Indian Army is to reconnect the villages that have been completely cut off. Towards that end, a log bridge over Lachen Chu, connecting Chungthang to Pegong, has been completed by troops of the Indian Army along with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and local villagers.
Meanwhile, the Indian Army, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) with the help of ITBP has launched a footbridge from the Chungthang side. Special teams were deployed on Saturday to open the route to Chaten via Rabom. A foot link-up has thus been established and assistance is being provided to nearly 200 civilians stranded in the area.
Signallers of the Trishakti Corps have been continuing their efforts to restore communication links to North Sikkim by working round the clock. Efforts are also underway to restore communication till Lachung and Lachen after which the telecommunication service providers can start working to restore mobile communication in North Sikkim.
Simultaneously, an assessment of the damage and plans for restoring road communication in the entire state has been completed by the BRO and the Indian Army. A number of meetings with the state government officials and other agencies have been held and ground reconnaissance has been carried out by the teams.
To ensure the sustenance of the people at Chungthang, rations have been provided to the Gurudwara at Chungthang. Medical aid is being provided at all locations and so far, more than 1,500 patients have been treated by the Trishakti Healers.