"If previous government had constructed properly..." Sikkim Chief Minister on hydel dam destroyed in flash floods
Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang on Saturday said that maximum damage in the flash floods in Teesta River took place after the 1200 MW dam in Chungthang in the State's Mangan district broke alleging substandard construction work by the previous government in the State.
«The maximum damage took place after the Chungthang Dam broke. If the previous government had constructed the dam properly and if standard work had been done, the force of the water could have been controlled,» Chief Minister Tamang told ANI.
The chief minister visited flood affected areas and relief camps at Naga Village in Mangan to assess the situation and interacted with people there this morning.
Chief Minister Tamang said that a committee will be formed and an investigation will be undertaken.
«We will take help from the Central agency and make sure that the culprits are punished,» he said.
The Lhonak glacier in the Sikkim Himalayas burst and started to overflow breaching one side of the lake on October 3 leading to the rise in the water levels in Teesta and inundate several areas of the state.
The 1200 MW dam Teesta Stage III hydel power project in Chungthang village was commissioned in the year 2017.
The Chief Minister said that he will also visit the areas severely affected by the calamity in Mangan and will also engage in discussions with the families affected in Naga, Rel, and Toong wards.
The Sikkim Chief Minister said that schools in Rangpo and Singhtham districts have been closed till october 15as these district are on risk zone. «We have not closed the schools of West Sikkim.»
CM Tamang said that President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minster Narendra Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had called and enquired about the situation
