The Sikkim government has announced immediate financial assistance and permanent rehabilitation for 40 families whose homes were completely damaged by landslides in Rimbi village in Gyalshing district, as rescue teams continue relief operations in the affected area.
Tenzing D. Denzongpa, the Gyalshing district collector, visited Rimbi with government officials and said Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang had directed the administration to identify land for the permanent rehabilitation of displaced families. The district administration has prepared a list of affected residents.
An official said each family from the 40 completely damaged houses would receive ₹1.3 lakh as immediate relief on Monday. The government also plans to construct houses for the affected families under the Sikkim Garib Awas Yojana once an alternative site is finalised.
“The chief minister, who will visit the affected area shortly, has instructed us to arrange alternative land for the victims. We are identifying a suitable site. Once the land is finalised, the affected families will be rehabilitated there,” the official said.
Rimbi, under the Yuksom subdivision, is around 120km from Gangtok. The village became vulnerable after a landslide on August 13, while incessant rain over the following week worsened conditions and led the administration to move most residents to safer locations.
The situation deteriorated early on Friday when two houses were washed away by a landslide. The latest damage followed fresh landslides reported in the Rimbi area on September 26, prompting the 72nd battalion of the Sashastra Seema Bal at Yuksom to send a rescue and relief team.
SSB personnel, accompanied by a medical team from the battalion, established a relief camp and provided medical assistance to 87 villagers. The team also assessed the damage and began emergency rescue operations in coordination with the civil administration and local residents.
Ministers and officials from the departments concerned have visited the site in recent days to assess the damage. The next stages of the response are the finalisation of alternative land, the chief minister’s visit and the delivery of immediate financial assistance to the families whose houses were completely damaged.
