BAGHMARA, July 3: After suffering the wrath of nature that literally pushed everyone in the district of South Garo Hills to the brink, life seems to be slowly getting back on track with at two of the major route to become operational from Monday.
Incessant rains had battered the SGH region leading to the already soft soil giving way in many places. The rains claimed at least nine lives with many houses getting washed away, leaving people without homes. Landslides became a frequent feature leading to many hills coming down.
The worst affected areas included Rongara, Siju, Maheskola, Khalu and Kanai though other areas too were equally affected.
Informing about the latest developments, Rongara-Siju MLA Rakkam Sangma stated that work on restoring connectivity has been taken on a war footing.
“The efforts of the various departments have led to connectivity between Nongalbibra – Baghmara to be restored again for small vehicles. The temporary bridge will be operational from tomorrow, July 4. Further the temporary setup for Rongara too will be open for traffic tomorrow, while the Rongdik – Karukol bridge should also be operational by Tuesday, July 5 at max,” said Rakkam.
While Maheskola still remains cut off from Kanai, it has been reachable from the South West Khasi Hills side and as such relief has reached people of the areas there.
According to him, the major impact has been on government infrastructures in the district, with his constituency being the worst affected. In what will also come as a relief is the fact that food is no longer scarce, thanks to the efforts of volunteers, donations as well as the various departments.
Many volunteers, locals from SGH or otherwise, have ensured that those that were badly affected did not go without food or clothing. Efforts to ensure food was available were made from day two itself though some places were still left out until day 4. However, with 20-25 helicopter sorties made by the Indian Air Force, the food situation was taken care of.
“The total extent of damage cannot be completely gauged as various C&RD Blocks are still compiling the numbers. Many houses have been washed away and families have been provided temporary assistance to restart their lives. The major damage has been done to agricultural lands which may take at least 2-3 years to be harvestable owing to the amount of silt deposits,” informed Rakkam.
The MLA added that assessment on the agricultural loss was being calculated. He also wished to thank everyone that came forward in the time of distress and hoped efforts would continue.
