Sikkim's apex tribal organisation demands probe into dam burst incident, writes to National Dam Safety Authority

Sikkim's Apex Tribal organisation, Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee has written a letter to the Chairman of the National Dam Safety Authority urging the department to initiate a comprehensive investigation into the dam burst. 

This inquiry should encompass a detailed assessment of the dam's structural integrity, the maintenance and monitoring protocols in place, and any potential negligence or violations of safety

The letter reads, I am writing to request a thorough investigation into the dam burst that occurred in North Sikkim on October 3rd, which has raised significant concerns among the local community and has potentially posed serious environmental and safety hazards.

The recent dam burst in North Sikkim has not only caused substantial damage to the surrounding areas but also put the lives and livelihoods of the local residents at risk. As a tribal organization, we are eager to understand the causes and contributing factors behind this incident to prevent such occurrences in the future since most of the affected areas are tribal-dominated areas.

Alos Read: Sikkim Chief Minister calls for unity in face of recent calamity on Rashtriya Ekta Diwas 2023

We kindly urge your agency or department to initiate a comprehensive investigation into the dam burst. This inquiry should encompass a detailed assessment of the dam's structural integrity, the maintenance and monitoring protocols in place, and any potential negligence or violations of safety standards.

Furthermore, it is imperative that environmental impacts, if any, are assessed and addressed in line with applicable regulations. We would also like you to inquire into the procedure of how the dam was allowed to be constructed in spite of the various studies showing the danger of the project environmentally and the possibility of it causing destruction in case of failure due to the GLOF incident. The dangers emanating from the construction of this dam were highlighted by a tribal organization Affected Citizens of Teesta through about three years of hunger strikes opposing this dam construction.

We like to inform you that the said dam construction is mired in various illegal activities and controversies which need to be fully investigated since these factors have contributed to the dam failure. The state government has also been very negligent in fully adopting the Dam Safety Act and has not followed the procedures laid down in the act. The constitution of the state-level committee does not fulfil the prescribed requisitions laid down by the act . The members constituting the committee do not have the requisite qualifications as laid down in the act. The committee was formed in 2021 but has failed to implement all the procedures laid down in the act regarding dam safety in the state to date. The state government as the owner of the dam has not made any effort to fulfil the obligations as per the act in ensuring the safety of dams in the state. There has been utter negligence on the part of the government in implementing the Dam Safety Act which has resulted in the recent tragedy.

We believe that a transparent and exhaustive investigation is essential to ensure the safety and well-being of the people in the affected region. We also hope it will facilitate the implementation of necessary measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. We would like to implore you that an independent group of experts examine the case independent from interference of the state government.

We look forward to your prompt response and the actions taken to address this issue. Please keep us informed of the progress of the investigation and any subsequent steps to rectify the situation. Our organization is ready to extend our help in this investigation if you so desire.