Saturday, March 18, 2023

175 tourists stuck in parts of Sikkim amid snow rescued by BRO

No comments :

PRASHANT ACHARYA, EOI, SILIGURI, MARCH 18, 2023 : About 175 tourists stuck in higher altitudes of Sikkim due to unprecedented heavy snowfall between March 15 and March 17have been rescued by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). 
They were brought down to Gangtok by vehicles arranged by the BRO on Saturday morning. It is the tourist season in Sikkim now and tourists from across the country are visiting attractions like Nathu La, Baba Mandir, Gurudongmar Lake and Valley of Flowers, all of which are high altitude destinations..From March 15 to 17,entire Sikkim received unprecedented rains, snow and hail storms. 
 The tourists who were visiting these areas got stuck as the roads were covered with snow and sleet, making the movement of cars and taxis very risky. Tourists who had gone up with the intention of returning to their hotels in Gangtok by night were not carrying extra warm clothings for such cold weather. They were stranded along the routes without warm clothing, food and a place to stay for the night. 
Project Swastik of the Border Road Organization which constructs and maintains these roads went out to help the stranded tourists as well as the local people by providing shelter and food to 175 tourists, among them many women175 tourists stuck in parts of Sikkim amid snow rescued by BRO and children, and also by clearing the roads so that the stranded tourists could return. They picked up the stranded tourists from the roads in BRO vehicles, brought them to their camp, provided them with a place to rest for the night, a hot cup of tea and meals for all. 
The medical staff of the BRO looked after the medical needs of the tourists. Additional warm clothings and blankets were also provided to them for the night in view of the extremely cold weather. BRO personnel worked throughout the day and night to ensure that roads were opened for a short time of six to eight hours. 
Heavy duty equipment of the BRO worked despite continuous snow and rain and ensured that the roads were open on Saturday morning for all the175 tourists and taxis returned to Gangtok. The BRO also arranged its own buses from different locations and shifted the stranded tourists to Gangtok

No comments :

Post a Comment