Sikkim: Gangtok BJP MLA files FIR against Ex-CM Pawan Chamling alleging corruption in Teesta Urja project

An FIR has been lodged against former Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling. The FIR has been lodged by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from East Gangtok, YT Lepcha, over alleged corruption in the Teesta Urja Project. Lepcha has alleged that Chamling has a role in causing damage to public properties and loss of life due to the recent flood near the Teesta River, owing to the alleged corruption during the construction of the dam. 

The FIR details the recent devastation caused by a sudden flood in the Singtam Bazar area and neighboring regions near the Teesta River. Lepcha asserts that the root cause of this disaster can be attributed to the ambitious greed of the former Chief Minister, Pawan Kumar Chamling.

Lepcha writes in the FIR, "The prime cause of all these devastation is traceable and we can pin-point it upon the greed of the ex-CM Pawan Kumar Chamling, who worked against the public opinion ignoring the correct forecasting of the religious Lamas." 

He goes on to mention that religious Lamas, along with the general public and Ren Dawa Lepcha of Dzongu, had been on a relay hunger strike for more than 900 days to protest against the Teesta Urja Project. Lepcha himself had undertaken a hunger strike in support of their cause.

"The ex-CM was adamant to start the Teesta Urja Project. We were forced to go under the iron bar with this and that accusation," Lepcha continued in the FIR. 

He stated in the FIR that Chamling's greed and money-making plans were the root causes behind the ongoing devastation. Lepcha requested that the matter be taken before the eyes of the law for interrogation in the interest of the public.

Teesta Urja, which is the second biggest run-of-the-river hydro power project in the country, suffered massive damages due to flood caused by the breach in Lhonak lake which in turn caused the flash floods.

The flash floods, triggered by a cloudburst on Wednesday, led to severe destruction in Sikkim. It affected over 25,000 people, damaged more than 1,200 houses and infrastructure including roads and bridges.

The death toll reached 56 on Saturday, with 26 bodies been recovered from Sikkim, and 30 being found in the basin of the Teesta River in West Bengal.