I sometimes wonder what feeling would Narayan Gopal be having when he sang – “Aljhecha Kya re Pachyawri timro chiya ko botaima.” Was “chiya ko bot” a resemblance of wealth? Was “chiyabari” a happy and prosperous place? While the former may still be true, the latter is most certainly not – and that has today become a concern for every citizen in the Hills – be it the residents or the non-residents of the tea gardens.
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Kalimpong sits comfortably on the Himalayan Belt, one of the most earthquake prone areas in the world. As there hasn’t been a major earthquake exceeding M8 in the last fifty years, the town has grown and expanded, seemingly oblivious to the dangers lurking underneath the surface. How many buildings have been built without proper procedures against earthquakes, how many people furnish their houses according to taste rather than safety, and how have you planned for the worst possible scenario?