Rs.1,000 crore aid sought for quake-hit Darjeeling

By IANS,

Darjeeling : The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) Monday sought a rehabilitation package of Rs.1,000 crore from the central government for quake-hit Darjeeling hills and urged West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to take up the matter with New Delhi.


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“The entire spotlight after the Sep 18 earthquake was on Sikkim which has got all-round assistance. The authorities were concerned with Sikkim as the casualty there was high. In contrast, though there was considerable damage in Darjeeling, particularly in the rural areas, we received negligible assistance as the casualty figure was low,” GJM general secretary Roshan Giri told IANS.

Giri said 7,500 houses in the three Darjeeling hill sub-divisions — Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong — were severely damaged while one lakh sustained partial damage in the 6.8 magnitude quake.

The GJM leadership said they would submit a memorandum to Banerjee.

“We need at least Rs.1,000 crore. We would request the chief minister to take up the matter with the central government,” Giri said.

Darjeeling District Magistrate Soumitra Mohan said two lakh people in the district were hit by the earthquake that jolted large parts of northern and eastern India.

Another district official said that out of the 107 relief camps opened after the calamity, several were still functioning.

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