Life has begun to crawl back in the Darjeeling hills, which was hit by landslides amid torrential rainfall on Saturday night. The official death count has reached 28 with the recovery of two more bodies from Bamandanga in Nagrakata in Jalpaiguri district. According to the local administration, several people are still missing. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who visited Mirik, the worst-hit town in the region on Tuesday, said reconstruction efforts will be the top priority of her government, and assured to rebuild the bridge in Dudhiya within 15 days. The collapse of the Dudhiya bridge severed Mirik’s link to Siliguri in the plains. “We will ensure that every affected family receives help for rehabilitation and restoration. Those whose houses have been destroyed, we will take care of them," the chief minister as she met people affected by Saturday’s rains and landslides. On restoring road connectivity that was snapped after the disaster, the CM said, "Initially, officials told me it would take a month to construct the bridge, but after discussions, it was decided that the work must be completed within 15 days," she said, adding a “permanent, high-quality bridge” at Dudhiya would be constructed within a year. "We have decided to start an alternative bridge immediately so that communication is not disrupted. Our engineers are working on four to five damaged bridges in Mirik and Nagrakata simultaneously," she said, promising to return to the region in two or three days after conducting a full field survey of the damage caused by the rains. The chief minister, who reached Mirik by road amid intermittent drizzle, was accompanied by Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, DGP Rajiv Kumar and Minister Arup Biswas. She personally handed over compensation cheques to the families of those killed in the natural disaster. On Monday, the CM had announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to each family of the deceased and homeguard job to a family member. She had also announced that the government would provide financial assistance to people whose homes were destroyed. She said bodies of some victims from neighbouring Nepal and Bhutan have also been recovered during rescue operations. "We have asked the chief secretary and the DGP to identify them properly and hand them over to their respective governments with full respect," she stated. Banerjee said that farmers who suffered crop losses due to flash floods and landslides would receive compensation under the state's crop insurance scheme. Meanwhile, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also visited the disaster-hit parts of north Bengal. "I have come here to assess the damage due to rainfall and floods. On behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I will meet the affected families and those who lost their loved ones. I will report to the PM after assessing the damage," said the BJP leader, who was accompanied by Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, and Darjeeling MP Raju Bista. With the sky clearing up on Tuesday, relief and search operations were in full swing, particularly in the worst-hit Mirik subdivision. The Hill Cart Road and Pankhabari Road, two lifelines connecting Darjeeling to Siliguri, were restored after emergency repair works, allowing visitors to finally begin their descent to the plains. But other stretches remained treacherous. "Though the situation is improving, travel is still risky in parts," said Darjeeling Superintendent of Police Praveen Prakash, who inspected a broken bridge near Dudhya earlier in the day. "The bridge collapse has snapped the Mirik route. We are facilitating movement through Hill Cart and Pankhabari roads instead," he said. The state government said relief and restoration efforts were being carried out "with full vigour" across every affected district. "Rescue workers involved in bridge and road repairs near rivers have been equipped with life jackets, gruel kitchens have been opened, and safe drinking water is being provided to the affected areas," a government statement said. All key departments, including Public Works, Public Health Engineering, Disaster Management, and the North Bengal Development Department, have been put on high alert, with officials and police personnel camping on the ground to expedite restoration. Community kitchens were also being operated in various affected areas, including Nagrakata. Work to restore electricity poles that have been submerged has also been going on. Earlier in the day, the chief minister instructed district authorities to set up special camps to help people reissue essential identity and welfare documents, such as Aadhaar, PAN, and ration cards that were lost in the disaster. She also ordered the supply of schoolbooks and stationery for affected children. "These camps must continue for at least a month, not only in Mirik but in all affected areas," she told officials. Banerjee said heavy rainfall in neighbouring Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan had worsened the flood situation in north Bengal. "Geographically, Bengal is shaped like a boat. When it rains in the upper regions, water naturally flows down to our side," she explained, adding that the state's relief agencies had been working relentlessly to cope with the disaster's impact. She held a virtual meeting with officials from the affected districts on Sunday, reached Siliguri on Monday afternoon, and then travelled to Nagrakata before proceeding to Mirik on Tuesday. With PTI inputs
