Active landslides force Mirik villagers to evacuate, Bista assures relief & rehabilitation support

DARJEELING/SILIGURI,: Continuous landslides below Lower Palzar Gaon in Mirik have forced more than 30 families to evacuate their homes and seek refuge in a community hall.

Fearing imminent danger due to the accelerating erosion below, villagers fled their homes on Friday night seeking safer shelter, maintaining that their area could also cave in at any time.

“It seems that the landslide starting near the river below our village started a week ago but had gone unnoticed as people could not go there due to the dense jungle leading to it. However, we could hear loud rumbling noises from below for some days. From three days back, the intensity of the sound was greater, and it felt like our village was vibrating and being pulled down. The sound could be heard in the daytime and at night within a gap of one to one and a half hours,” said Buddha Lepcha, a local resident.

“We began searching for the source of the sound, but the thick forest concealed the landslide, with it not even being visible from the opposite village. So, I along with another villager came down to the river and saw a landslide near the Labarbotey area, which was, however, small. It was later that on the right side of it we noticed the bigger landslide, the vibration of which had also caused the smaller landslide,” said Lepcha.

According to him, that area was being hit by 14 to 15 landslides day and night in rapid succession.

“At 8 pm last night, the sound that came from below was very loud compared to other days, so we left our village for safer grounds. The panic caused by the noise was so great that we left our houses with only whatever we were wearing and ran uphill,” said Lepcha, maintaining that the only option for them was to be shifted somewhere else as it was not safe there and their area could be hit by the landslide any day.

Darjeeling MP and BJP national spokesperson Raju Bista on Saturday visited landslide-affected areas of Mirik to assess the ground situation and meet families affected by the disaster.

Bista visited Labarbotay, Lower Palzar Gaon, under Pahila Gaon School Dara-II Gram Panchayat and took stock of the damage caused by the landslide.

During his visit, officials briefed the MP about the situation at Mirik Busty II, where a large quantity of soil, rocks and debris has entered the Rangbhang River. The debris has caused a major blockage, creating a dam-like obstruction and raising concerns over water accumulation and the possibility of a sudden overflow.

Such a situation could pose a serious threat to nearby settlements, roads and public infrastructure, prompting authorities to step up precautionary and disaster-mitigation measures.

Bista held detailed discussions with the District Magistrate, Superintendent of Police, SDO, BDO and other senior officials regarding the developing situation. He stressed the need for immediate precautionary measures to prevent the blockage from triggering a larger disaster.

Members of the Arjun Vahini Disaster Task Force have already been deployed in the affected areas. Teams and experts from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are also being mobilised and are expected to reach the area shortly to strengthen rescue, preparedness and mitigation efforts.

According to Bista, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has been personally monitoring the situation since Saturday morning.

Bista said he provided the Chief Minister with a detailed update on the ground situation from the affected area.

The Darjeeling MP also said that 33 families, comprising 124 individuals, have been affected in Lower Palzar Gaon and that, for their safety, they have been shifted to the Lepcha Community Hall.

Reassuring the affected families, Bista said the government and district administration would extend all possible assistance during the crisis. He also assured that relief and rehabilitation support would be provided to families affected by the disaster.

The situation in parts of Mirik remains under close observation as disaster-response teams prepare to assess the river blockage and minimise the risk to people and infrastructure downstream.