Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Paljor Stadium relief camp hosts 13 families

AMEET OBEROIGANGTOK, 26 Sept: A total of 13 families are at present camped in the four rooms of a relief camp set up at the Paljor Stadium here in Gangtok. While five families [a total of 23 people] are from Arithang, six families [24 people] are from Sichey and two families [13 people] are from below the Paljor Stadium area.
The families from Arithang moved to the relief camp on 21 September, the Sichey families arrived here on 25 September and the families from below the Paljor Stadium area moved in today.
“All the people who have moved into the relief camp lived in rented homes and now their houses are not fit for habitation hence we are providing them a place to stay until they find new homes,” informed Thupden Rapgyal [Deputy Director, Sports & Youth Affairs Department] and also the Incharge of the Paljor Stadium Relief Camp, while speaking to NOW!.
“When the families arrive, we first take them to the Gymnasium Hall, then looking at which families can adjust with the other, we shift them to such rooms,” he explained, adding that while the initial advise was to accommodate the families in the Gymnasium Hall itself, “we did not want them to feel as if they were staying in a relief camp, so we shifted them to the rooms, so that they get some sense of a home environment”.
The relief materials for these 13 families is being provided by the DC [East] office, Sikkim Chamber of Commerce [food and ration], Live to Love [dry food], Art of Living [Sintex tank for drinking water] and the Bar Association of Sikkim [ration and blankets].
It may be informed here that the nine rooms at the Paljor Stadium are for use as the youth hostel [temporary].
“The house where we were staying has been totally damaged. The building has tilted and is not fit for habitation,” informed Dilip Kumar Bhujel [a government driver], who shifted to the relief camp from Arithang along with his wife, two kids and his brother-in-law, while speaking to NOW!
“We have just brought along the necessary items, while the rest are either still in the house or has been kept with relatives and friends,” he added.
“We were sad as we had to leave our home, but we are much happier now and can sleep well at night and are being well looked after by Thupden Sir and his staff here,” shared Suman Sharma [also a government driver], who shifted here with his wife, kid and two brothers, also from Arithang.
But the story of Bijay Gurung [a lower division clerk in the Industries Department], a resident of Chakung, West Sikkim, who also shifted from Arithang is quite different. It has been just five months since he was transferred to Pelling and was on duty there when the earthquake struck on 18 September. His wife and two kids were at home in Arithang. He had to take leave to rush to them and since the roads were blocked, he could come reach his family only after two days.
To add to his woes, he also has a patient admitted in the Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial [STNM] Hospital and food for the patient is also being taken from the relief camp, where they are camped at present.
“We are facing a lot of problems as our homes have been destroyed. We are also looking for alternative arrangements to move out but have not yet found any, but here at the relief camp we are being well looked after and feel like we are at home,” he said and added that he had been asked to join his duty by Tuesday. He does not know what to do next.
“We were visited [at Arithang] by the Minister HRDD, NK Pradhan and the Councilor Ashish Rai and they advised us to shift to the relief camp here,” informed JB Gurung [a government driver], who stayed on the first floor of the same building at Arithang.
“We did not take the advise until the second earthquake struck on Wednsday and we decided that it was safer to be in the relief camp than to stay in the building,” he added.

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