The situation is dire, with two iron bridges collapsed, several roads damaged and flooded, and huge tracts of land inundated in the districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, and Alipurduar.
The nightmare of travelling on national highway 10 (NH-10), the only arterial road linking Sikkim and Kalimpong with Siliguri, continues to haunt commuters.
A wet Thursday morning set the tone for what promises to be a rain-drenched next few days, with the regional Met office forecasting continued showers, gusty winds and potential disruptions across both south and north Bengal.
Inspired by India’s first Digital Nomad Village, recently launched in Sikkim’s Yakten, stakeholders in north Bengal’s tourism industry have begun exploring similar possibilities across the region.
Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) visited Kalimpong on Friday to pay his respects to the late Gyalo Thondup, elder brother of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
The officer on special duty for public health in north Bengal, Dr Susanta Kumar Roy, held a meeting with district magistrates, chief medical officers of health (CMOH) of both the districts, North Bengal Medical College and Hospital principal Prof Indrajit Saha and other officials today.
Along with Mr Khanal, those who left the party today included central committee leaders Norden Lama and Praveen Rahapal, and Kalimpong district committee office secretary Saran Pradhan.
According to Mr Pradhan, they have handed over the project to be run by an agency based in Kolakata in agreement under the Annual Maintenance Control (AMC), as expert hands are needed to operate it.
Morcha (Bimal Gurung camp) leader from Kalimpong Anil Lopchan also said they condemned the statement made by Mr Lepcha.
Notably, both the Bimal Gurung and Binoy Tamang factions of the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha are politically in league with Mamata Banerjee's party, but they have not yet finalised the candidates.
