This story is from June 19, 2019

Bengal tourists, stranded in Sikkim after cloudburst, return to Gangtok

Incessant rain over the last couple of days in north Sikkim triggered a landslide, inconveniencing tourists and locals. To worsen matters, a cloudburst upstream Teesta on Monday led to floods. According to authorities, nearly 60 tourist vehicles were stranded between Lachen and Zeema-III in the Lachen Axis, one of the popular destinations among tourists.
Bengal tourists, stranded in Sikkim after cloudburst, return to Gangtok
(Left) Cops monitor the roads after the flood (right) in Sikkim
By: Isha Lahiri and Meghna Das
KOLKATA: Incessant rain over the last couple of days in north Sikkim triggered a landslide, inconveniencing tourists and locals. To worsen matters, a cloudburst upstream Teesta on Monday led to floods. According to authorities, nearly 60 tourist vehicles were stranded between Lachen and Zeema-III in the Lachen Axis, one of the popular destinations among tourists.

Authorities responded immediately and started clearing roads to evacuate the tourists back to Lachen and Chungthang before they could be sent back to Gangtok. The Army has been kept on standby to provide assistance in case the situation worsened.
Several tourists from Kolkata said the rain washed out their plans. “We had planned to cover a great deal on Monday and had just begun checking out local markets when the downpour started. We managed to get back to the hotel safely with help from local authorities. The hotel arranged for food and water. Though it was a disappointment to miss a day, we are thankful that matters didn’t worsen,” said Sagar Choithramani, a second-year commerce student of St Xavier’s College, who is on a tour of Sikkim with friends.
Bhowanipore resident Swastik Jain (19) said, “We had to weave through heavy traffic after crossing the Teesta on our way from Siliguri to Gangtok. We could make out that current was strong and there were rumours of a tourist car falling in the river. It was very scary.” “Our troubles did not end after reaching Gangtok. The restaurants closed earlier than usual and we had difficulty in arranging for food. Many food joints were charging more than the usual prices as they were paying more to procure stocks. We ran out of fuel on several occasions while travelling. Local authorities helped us by arranging for fuel,” he added.
Communication was another problem. St Xavier’s College student Yogesh Choudhury said mobile networks were weak and tourists couldn’t get in touch with their families back home.
Authorities have now decided not to issue tourist permits for places such as Dzongu, Lachen and Lachung till the situation improved.
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