A reminder to the District Magistrate

To,

The District Magistrate,

Darjeeling

20Dec2007

Meeting with departments involved with preventive action against landslides

Dear Sir,

Reference is made to the meeting held at the Circuit house, Darjeeling on 02 Nov2007 between representatives of “savethehills” and Mr A Purkayastha (IAS), Principal Secretary, Disaster Management, Govt of W Bengal.

2. It is roughly halfway between the end of the last monsoons (Sep2007) and the beginning of the next one (May2008). As you know many areas of the district were severely damaged by landslides in Sep2007 – some such hazard zones (an example is the area around Mr Anil Shankar’s residence in the Homes dispensary area, Kalimpong – photos of which can be seen at http://www.savethehills.blogspot.com and some parts of Harsingh bustee, Darjeeling) which have human habitation will, in all probability collapse in the next monsoons unless adequate preventive action is taken now.

3. As was decided during the meeting in Circuit house on 02 Nov2007, and in view of the fact the monsoons are barely 4 months away, we request you to kindly convene a meeting with all departments concerned with prevention of landslides (including those under Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council -DGHC) to check the progress of measures being undertaken and allow selected representatives of civil society attend the same.

Thanking you

(Prafulla Rao)

Wg Cdr (retd)

Convernor

savethehills@gmail.com

9832093746

Copy to:-

a) CPS (DGHC)

Comment by Praful Rao

The above letter has been couriered to both the DM and the CPS (DGHC) on 21Dec2007. A press release to that effect has also been given.