The Central Government announces a grant of Rs. 50,000 crore as relief-in-aid. Madhya Pradesh too offers Rs 5 crore and so does The Dalai Lama Trust. There is just so much money flowing into the state right now and I just hope the victims are compensated immediately. Lord knows they need the financial assurance to see them through this nightmare. It is such a shame that we living in the capital have not a lot to fear about. While electricity was immediately restored within 24 hours in Gangtok, quite a number of villages are yet to get back on track. North district has been the worst affected with more than twenty five landslides between the highway connecting it to the state capital. I know how treacherous the road is during the monsoons which is why I shudder at the thought of the destruction as a result of the quake which took place three days ago.
My cousin's girlfriend was uncontrollable over the phone two days back. She lost her ancestral house to a landslide in south Sikkim. It is so easy to console people, to tell them to be strong but when you place yourself in that situation, it's a scary thought. We are trying to raise funds here at the University but haven't started with the collection as yet. Terrain and altitude is always a problem whenever such disasters have taken place. I'm very happy that the community is closely knit back home. Although there were a lot of complaints about the National Disaster Team not being able to do much, the locals stepped in to add to the relief efforts.
For now, there is only so much I can do from here. Watching the video clips on IBN every morning and evening, I get a sense of comfort. My brother tells me things are working swiftly which is a good sign. Let us all pray for the departed and those affected.
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