Darjeeling Landslide!

Darjeeling Landslide

Once again the hills of Darjeeling Reels under the fury of Mother Nature. As of this morning the death toll is at 38 but that should be going up as reports coming from Tingling (sub-division of Singbulli Tea Garden) that 2 more dead bodies were recovered from the Nepal side of river Mechi. Like 2003 landslide this time also it is the Mirik Block that has been hit disastrously.

While Darjeeling copes up with this disaster the national media as usual silent. To giants of national media #NDTV, #CNNIBN, #TIMESNOW to name a few who has ignored as usual the hills of Darjeeling. For these giants just a refresher on your nation, Darjeeling tea, tourism and timber annually fetches more revenue than what Lalit Modi has camped off with. Sushma Swaraj and her clans have not produced that many bahadurs to lay down their lives for the nation as has Darjeeling done. It’s not that Darjeeling or the people of Darjeeling want you to shout out loud on your channels but a hush hush would have been a respect paid to humble queen of the hills and guess the buck just does not stop here.

I have seen the effect of 2003 landslide how it destroyed property, took away lives and for some left a deep scar that can never be healed. Today I wonder could we have done anything to avoid this calamity or lessen its magnitude. Wonder if we had ensured that all houses were still built in the old architecture of only ground plus one, with the upper being wooden structure, unlike what we see in the hills these days huge concrete structures. Another aspect that has always bothered me most is the boulders which get carried away from the riverbed, doesn't it disturb the ecological balance or the huge dams that we are creating upstream for hydro-power purposes or the huge high tension electrical towers that carry them.  

If we could have or not abate the fury of nature but like 2003 the people of Darjeeling has once again shown their true nature not only to endure but to be their for one another when the chips are down.

Rescue Work in progress by the locals

Photo Courtesy Roshan Thapa