PAKYONG GAS BLAST INJURES 19

Burn victims admitted at CRH, 3 referred to Siliguri

Pappu Mallick

PAKYONG/GANGTOK, October 15: Nineteen people sustained burn injuries in various degrees when an idle LPG petromax cylinder exploded in a popular tea shop here at Pakyong bazaar today. Two-year- old Sherap Gyalsten and 13-year- old Tempo Gyatso Bhutia were among the injured in the mishap which occurred at around 1 pm.

            Eyewitnesses informed that there was a massive sound followed by a fire in the shop which was full with customers taking tea and snacks.

  

            Chandra Prasad (56), who has been running the shop for the past 25 years, has burns in his face, hands and legs. He was sitting at counter when the explosion and subsequent inferno took place. The fire was extinguished by locals.

            Prasad said that he had a 5-litre LPG lamp tucked away on top of a cupboard which had suddenly exploded injuring almost everyone in the shop. The blast was so powerful that the fire it had sparked caught two students and their mother in front of the shop. The victims were rushed to the nearby primary health centre for treatment.

Medical officer Dr Tashi Peggy Chophel informed that all the burn victims were referred to Central Referral Hospital in Gangtok. Among the injured, Tempo Gyatso Bhutia has sustained serious injuries in his head and body, she said.

            The other injured victims are Diwas Pradhan, Sanjay Kumar Paswan, Karma Tshering Bhutia, Purna Bahadur Gurung, Angi Bhutia, Nimchikki Bhutia, Lakki Doma Bhutia, Thakudem Bhutia, Pempa Bhutia, Sahil Namcho, Tularam Sharma, Dilli Ram Sharma, Bijay Kumar Sani, Padam Tamang, Ratan Rai and Suraj Paswan. Three of them have been referred to Siliguri for further treatment.

            “The lamp had been kept few days back and there was no sign or smell of leakages from it. I was in the counter reading a newspaper when the blast took place. The shop was filled with customers as it was lunch time”, said the injured shop owner Prasad to SIKKIM EXPRESS at Central Referral Hospital here.

            “I was eating samosas in the tea shop when I heard a loud blast and almost in the same instant I found myself on fire”, said victim Purna Gurung.

            The East District collector, D Anandan has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

            “Once the inquiry is over and it is proven that it was an accident, the injured will be compensated as per the norms”, said Anandan.

            The Sikkim Manipal University Employees Association has announced to bear all the medical expenses of victim Padam Tamang (60) who does not have any one to look after him.

            “Since the old man does not have any relatives to look after him, the association will take the responsibility of further medical treatment”, said association president Tika Ram Sharma.

            At Pakyong, SDPO Ajay Kumar Rai and his team inspected the damaged shop.

            A case under sections 285, 336, 337 and 338 under IPC has been registered against the shop owner. (Pic Pappu Mallick)

SDF refutes allegations, Congress maintains discrimination in relief distribution

SE Report

GANGTOK, October 11: The ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) has refuted the allegations leveled by Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee (SPCC) president Nar Bahadur Bhandari and Indian Youth Congress Sikkim coordinator Avinash Yakha on discrimination of earthquake relief.

            “Earthquakes, floods and landslides are natural disasters and there are no strong reasons to blame people. But in our State there exists a group of few low intelligence people who are clearly interested in making a natural calamity like earthquake a political issue. We straightway condemn the allegations leveled on the State government by Bhandari and Yakha”, said the ruling front in a press statement.

            “Their allegations of improper distribution of relief amount to the earthquake victims are baseless. Regarding the grants from Centre, DPRs (detailed project reports) have to be prepared with due administrative process. The SDF government had maintained full transparency in distribution of ex-gratia to the victims”, said the SDF.

However, the SPCC has maintained its allegations of discrimination in assessing damages and distribution of relief by the SDF government. “The SPCC has collected reports from all over the State about the discrimination in assessing damages and distribution of relief. It is also felt that the rate of relief money fixed as per various classifications is also obsolete as these rates dates back to more than 10 years”, it said in a press release.

The SPCC has demanded the State government to revise the rates by keeping in mind the rate of inflation and current market prices of construction materials. “Relief amount ranging from Rs. 3000 to Rs. 50,000 in today’s context is so meager that it will serve only as a mere pocket money for the victims”, said SPCC vice president Kunga Nima Lepcha.

Similarly, SPCC ‘senior vice president’ KN Upreti, who heads a SPCC faction, expressed his ‘serious concern on the manner the earthquake cash relief is being distributed’. The cash relief is not being distributed by government agencies but distributed directly by the Chief Minister, ministers, MLAs and SDF panchayats in discretionary manner, he alleged.

The discretionary grant is without verification of extent of damaged caused, claimed Upreti alleging the victims are being ‘discriminated’ on basis of party affiliation and ‘proximity’ to concerned MLAs and panchayats.

Upreti informed that he visit to such areas from where the complaints are coming to get a first hand report and ‘if necessary make representation to the Governor on the matter’. We will also seek all the details of the total fund received from the different sources and utilization of the said fund through RTI, he said.

Sport Secretary’s building collapse in Baluwakhani

Chain reaction triggers collateral damages

  Sport Secretary’s building collapse in Baluwakhani (pic Pappu Mallick)

Youths of Sikkim

Youths of Sikkim hold candlelight vigil in Gangtok and offer prayers for victims of Sept 23 earthquake that rattled Sikkim. (pic Pappu Mallick)

HCM with Mamata infection earth-quik

 CM Inspecting Secretariat after Earth-quak - 6.8 (Sunday) pic. Pappu Mallick

 Mamta Banerjee visit SMU after Earth-quak - 6.8 (Sunday) pic. Pappu Mallick

  Mamta Banerjee visit SMU after Earth-quak  - 6.8 (Sunday) pic. Pappu Mallick

Staffs outside the Secretariat after quak - 6.8 (Sunday) pic. Pappu Mallick

USGS upgrades Sikkim Earthquake to 6.9

Gangtok, September 20: National Earthquake Information Center of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has upgraded the largest Sikkim quake from 6.8 magnitude to a 6.9, and the other two at magnitudes 4.8 and 4.6. All three occurred within an hour and 15 minutes, the U.S. agency said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has held on that the largest earthquake was 6.8 magnitude, 5.7 magnitude and 5.3 magnitude.

In terms of energy, each whole number increase in the intensity of earthquake corresponds to an increase of about 31.6 times the amount of energy released. Therefore, a 7.0 earthquake on the Richter scale releases 31.623 times more energy than a 6.0 and a 8.0 on the Richter scale releases 1000 times more energy than a 7.0. A 0.1 increase in earthquake on Richter scale suggests nearly three times more powerful earthquake. Hence the difference between 6.8 and 6.9 is significant. A 6.0–6.9 Strong earthquake is destructive in areas up to about 160 kilometres (100 mi) across in populated areas.

The US agency said that the region has experienced relatively moderate seismicity in the past, with 18 earthquakes of Magnitude 5 (M 5) or greater over the past 35 years within 100 km of the epicenter of the September 18 event. The largest of these was a M 6.1 earthquake in November of 1980, 75 km to the southeast.

USGS said that the depth of the earthquake was 19.7 km (12.2 miles) with an uncertainly of horizontal +/- 13.5 km (8.4 miles); vertical+/- 3.5 km (2.2 miles).

Sikkim Earthquake USGS

The IMD has said that a slight magnitude earthquake (M:3.9) also occurred at 06 hours 22 minutes IST on 19th September, 2011 in the Latur district of Maharashtra. Though the event is located about 1500 kms away from the epicenter of the earthquake in Sikkim-Nepal border region of 18th September, 2011 and hence felt not directly related to it.

The most recent powerful earthquake in the area was the Sikkim earthquake of 14.02.2006 (M: 5.7) and Bhutan earthquake of 21.09.2009 (M:6.2). The IMD has also said that the entire area of Sikkim lies in Zone IV, which is considered fairly dangerous.

 DEATH TOLL IN SIKKIM EARTHQUAKE

As per the latest figures released by the Sikkim Government, as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, the number of dead bodies of victims of the Sunday evening earthquake stands at 52. The district-wise breakup of casualties is as follows:

N. SIKKIM: 35, E. SIKKIM: 12, W. SIKKIM: 04, S. SIKKIM: 01

Rai fresher’s welcome and traditional fashion show held

Pappu Mallick

GANGTOK September 4: All Sikkim College Rai fresher’s welcome and traditional Rai fashion show programme was held today here at Janta Bhawan.

The programme was organised by Akhil Kirat Rai Sangh College unit, Tadong and former Rai students.

 During the occasion MLA Bek Bahadur Rai was the chief guest.

Addressing the gathering, general secretary of All Sikkim Rai student Association Hemant Rai said that the association has been conducting social work and want to preserve culture, tradition and language of the Rai community. The association does not want to see generation gap and want to encourage the coming generation to preserve the culture, traditional and language.

Similarly, the president of All Sikkim Rai youth Wing Ashit Rai said that the association has been organizing such type of programme every year. Speaking about the role of youth, he said they will have to play vital role. He added that the State Government has also been encouraging youths by initiating different types of training programme.

                On the occasion traditional fashion show and culture programme were also performed by the Rai students, who later welcomed the freshers. (Pic & Text Pappu Mallick)