Quake damaged Rs 1 lakh crore property: Sikkim CM

Mumbai: The 6.8 measured earthquake that hit Sikkim and other northern states on 18 September has caused an estimated Rs 1 lakh crore massive damage to the state besides claiming over nearly 70 lives so far, Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling said today.

Giving an account of the injured in a press conference in Sikkim capital Gangtok, he said, “Over 300 injured are getting treatment in various hospitals and control rooms have been established in all the four districts.”

“Water lines have been damaged and so is the power supply. Over 2,000 houses have been completely damaged and over one lakh houses have sustained damages, " the Chief Minister of the Himalayan state said.

Adding to the critical ground situation, no communication could be established till now with nine villages in North Sikkim due to the devastated roads, the Chief Minister said.

“We are trying to assess the actual damage and expect to complete the assessment in 10 days and submit the report to the Central government,” he said. Chamling said that it will take months to restore the damages.

Meanwhile, the state administration is expecting help from Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who visited the state today, to take stock of the situation.

With the search operations going on in full swing, a clearer picture to the loss of life and property will emerge.

On Tuesday, the Chief Minister announced ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the family of those died in the earthquake and Rs 50,000 for injured in the disaster.

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