Key Takeaways
- The Inter‑Ministerial Central Team was formed to assess GLOF damage in Sikkim.
- Rs 44.80 crore of the Central Share of State Disaster Response Fund has been released for relief.
- The National Disaster Response Force, Indian Air Force and Army are actively supporting rescue operations.
New Delhi: Ministry of Home Affairs has constituted an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) to make an assessment of damages caused due to a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in Sikkim.
The team will visit the affected areas of the state very soon and on the basis of the assessment of IMCT, further additional Central assistance from National Disaster Response Fund to Sikkim will be approved as per laid down procedure, MHA said in a communique.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has approved release of both the installments of Central Share of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to Sikkim, amounting to Rs 44.80 crore in advance, for the year 2023-24, to help the State in providing relief measures to the affected people.
In the early hours of October 4, a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) caused a sudden surge in the Teesta river. The flood washed away several bridges, sections of NH‑10, and damaged the Chungthang Dam.
It also impacted small towns and numerous infrastructure projects in the upper river valley of Sikkim, prompting immediate rescue and relief operations.
The Central government at the highest level has been monitoring the situation round the clock and providing full support to the Sikkim by mobilizing timely logistics resources to supplement the efforts of the state deployment of adequate teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDR), Indian Air Force helicopters and Army personnel along with necessary search and rescue equipment, it said.
