Kolkata, Oct 7 (IANS) Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju visited the landslide-affected Mirik in Darjeeling district of West Bengal on Tuesday to assess the situation and ongoing relief work.

The Union Minister was accompanied by Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Suvendu Adhikari.

According to the sources, the central minister’s visit to north Bengal, which was battered by landslides following torrential rain which left at least 36 people dead, underscores the Centre’s commitment to support the people of that region in this hour of crisis.

After visiting flood-affected areas, Union Minister Rijiju said, “The situation is bad and many lives have been lost. Providing immediate relief is the priority right now. We are here to take a stock of the situation. A lot of damage has happened, and many people have lost their lives in floods and landslides. We are doing the assessment. The state and central government will have to make joint efforts.”

The Union Minister further said that he was in north Bengal on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will submit a report to the government on the situation.

“It is a priority to provide help and assistance to the families who have lost their loved ones and also lost their homes.

The central government, state governments, local administrations, and teams from NDRF, SSB, and other forces need to work together. On behalf of the PM, I am here on a two-day visit and spoke to the affected people. I will report on the situation here,” he said.

The death toll following heavy rainfall and landslides in the hills, Terai, and Dooars regions in North Bengal till Tuesday morning has risen to 36, as per the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and district administrations in Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri.

With the weather conditions improving since Monday morning, there has been substantial progress in relief and rescue operations. Several affected people have been shifted to safe places, and tourists have been evacuated from the affected areas.

–IANS

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