Heavy rain in Darjeeling leaves roads broken, locals stranded

Darjeeling (West Bengal) [India], October 9 (ANI): Locals in West Bengal's Darjeeling are facing a tough time following heavy rainfall over the past several days that has led to the destruction of infrastructure, including damage to the road connecting Dudhia to Mirik and to Nepal.
As water levels in the area rose due to incessant rains, several houses and buildings also collapsed, leaving residents in distress and fear.
A local said that a bridge that connected the area to other areas had also collapsed adding to their problmes. He further appealed to the government to send help.
"It rained very heavily on Sunday and was raining till 6 am... my house and shop got destroyed in the rain... we left from here early in the morning... the bridge has also broken here and it is causing a lot of trouble for the people since no one can travel anywhere... There has been no electricity here... a couple of houses have been destroyed here... We appeal to the government to send up help..." the local told ANI.
Amrit Thani, another local, also expressed his concern over the broken roads, further raising questions about the government's help.
"The bridge was the main road for the people to travel here and now that it is broken, the people are stuck here... The CM did come here and spoke about the compensation for the people who were killed but what about the people who are left with nothing?" Thani told ANI.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday visited the flood and landslides-affected areas in Darjeeling.
Rijiju inspected the losses and interacted with the affected people in the area. He was accompanied by Darjeeling MP Raju Bista.
The Minister also urged the state government to "step up" its relief measures, asking the TMC government to map the disaster and take measures to rehabilitate the affected people.
"From what we have seen so far and as per reports, the impact of the rains in Darjeeling has been huge. There has been an immense loss of life and property. Local representatives and administration are doing all they can, but the state government needs to step up its relief measures. The CM came to Siliguri to meet the victims of the disaster, but we want the state government to map the disaster... Those affected by the disaster, who have lost their livelihood and homes, should be provided relief and rehabilitated. This will be a challenge," Rijiju said.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has stated that 27 people, including one person from Nepal and another from Bhutan had lost their lives in the wake of severe rain and landslides in North West Bengal.(ANI)