Northeast Desk, 9th October: An FIR has been filed against former Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA YT Lepcha, representing East Gangtok. The complaint pertains to alleged corruption in the Teesta Urja Project, which is linked to recent flooding and the loss of public property and lives along the Teesta River.
In the FIR, it is detailed that the recent flood, which resulted in massive damage in the Singtam Bazar area and neighboring regions near the Teesta River, is attributed to the ambitious pursuits of former Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling.
Lepcha, in the FIR, asserts that Chamling’s actions disregarded public opinion and ignored the warnings of religious Lamas. He highlights that religious Lamas, in conjunction with the general public and Ren Dawa Lepcha of Dzongu, had conducted a relay hunger strike for over 900 days to protest against the Teesta Urja Project. Lepcha himself had undertaken a hunger strike in support of their cause.
According to the FIR, Chamling was determined to proceed with the Teesta Urja Project despite these protests and dissent. Lepcha contends that the root causes of the ongoing devastation lie in Chamling’s alleged greed and money-making plans.
Lepcha has requested that the law take its course, emphasizing the interest of the public in investigating this matter.
The Teesta Urja Project, as the second-largest run-of-the-river hydro power project in the country, suffered extensive damage due to a flood caused by a breach in Lhonak lake, resulting in flash floods.
These flash floods, triggered by a cloudburst, inflicted significant destruction in Sikkim, affecting over 25,000 people and damaging more than 1,200 houses, as well as critical infrastructure including roads and bridges. The death toll from this disaster has reached 56, with 26 bodies recovered in Sikkim and 30 found in the Teesta River basin in West Bengal.