The Congress has criticized the Union Government for failing to allocate funds to mitigate the Sikkim landslide and allowing unplanned hydro-projects in the region, which is prone to disasters.
Jairam Ramesh, General Secretary and Congress leader, has accused the government of vendetta politics, claiming they failed to allocate sufficient funds for irrigation and flood mitigation in West Bengal.
The Union Budget of July 2024 promised assistance without specific funds for Sikkim, a region in West Bengal, according to Ramesh. The budget was seen as confrontational federalism, indifferent to the equally affected areas. A massive landslide disaster in Sikkim damaged the Teesta V, a 510 MW hydroelectric power station on the Teesta river.
The disaster follows the October 2023 Glacial Lake Outburst Floods and riverine floods in the Teesta River basin, causing significant damage in Sikkim and Kalimpong, West Bengal. The National Highway 10, which serves as the lifeline for these regions, is currently facing landslides and closures.
Ramesh highlighted the unplanned construction of hydropower projects in the ecologically fragile Himalayan region, making Sikkim a disaster-prone area. He highlighted the National Hydropower Development Corporation’s 47 hydropower projects on the Teesta River in Sikkim and West Bengal.
Nine dams have been commissioned, 15 are ongoing, and 28 are in the pipeline. The October 2023 disaster was caused by the GLOF, but the Teesta-III dam failed. Mismanagement in debris disposal has increased riverbed levels, making the region more flood-prone. IRCON has also undertaken 14 tunnels for the Sivok-Rangpo railway line, further increasing vulnerability in the region.
