Toll in Darjeeling landslides rises to 24, rescue ops on as several people remain missing
Darjeeling (WB) (PTI): The toll in the devastating landslides in West Bengal's Darjeeling district rose to 24, as disaster management personnel continued the rescue operation on Monday with several people still missing and thousands of tourists stranded in cut-off hill pockets, officials said.
North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha said the toll rose with the recovery of one more body late Sunday night.
"The situation remains extremely challenging. Several people are still missing, and the toll is likely to go up. Continuous rainfall is hampering the rescue operations," he told PTI.
The landslides, triggered by over 300 mm of rain in just 12 hours, have ravaged the Darjeeling hills and the Dooars region at the foothills, officials said.
Among the worst-affected areas are Mirik, Sukhiapokhri and Jorebunglow in Darjeeling, and Nagrakata in Jalpaiguri district, they said.
The rescue operations, led by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), were continuing across multiple sites, with heavy earth-moving machinery being used to locate people feared trapped under mounds of debris, they added.
"Clearing operations are underway at more than 40 landslide points. Our teams are working around the clock to reopen the Mirik-Darjeeling and Sukhiapokhri roads," an official said.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to visit the affected areas later in the day.
The district administration has set up relief camps in coordination with the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and local NGOs, an official said.
"Food, blankets, medicines, and drinking water are being provided to all displaced families," he said.
An official of the GTA, the semi-autonomous body that administers the Darjeeling hills, said road connectivity to several hamlets remained severed even 24 hours after the disaster.
"Entire slopes have caved in, bridges washed away, and large portions of roads are buried under mud. Helicopter sorties may be needed to reach some interior villages," he said.
Hundreds of visitors who had travelled to the hills for Durga Puja vacations remained stranded as the arterial roads to Siliguri at the foothills were blocked.
Efforts are being made to help them reach Siliguri in batches via alternative routes, an official said.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall may continue in the region till Tuesday morning, with an alert issued for Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, and Cooch Behar districts, an IMD official said.
"Given the saturated soil and ongoing rain, the risk of fresh landslides remains high," he said.
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Parents fear uncertainty after Karnataka govt rules out age limit relaxation for Class 1 admission
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has ruled out any relaxation of the minimum age limit for admission to Class 1 beginning with the academic year 2026-27. Following the refusal, a group of parents continues to press for leniency.
Parents of children who fall under the age of six by a small margin on the cut-off date have met Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and senior officials from the Department of School Education and Literacy to request an exemption. School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa said that the government will not change its decision, as reported by Deccan Herald.
According to the minister, children must be six years old by June 1 to be eligible for admission to Class 1. beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. He noted that the previous relaxation was a one-time measure that was clearly confined to the 2025-26 academic year.
“If such requests are entertained every year, it will never end. While granting relaxation last year, it was explicitly stated that it applied only to one academic year. From 2026-27 onwards, the rule will be strictly implemented,” Bangarappa was quoted by DH.
Parents argue that the rigid cut-off is affecting children who are short by a few days. One parent was quoted by DH as saying that his daughter would be 12 days short of completing six years on June 1. Such parents would be forced to repeat a year despite being academically ready. Others pointed out that children promoted from LKG to UKG during the 2025-26 academic year are now facing uncertainty over their transition to Class 1.
Few parents also recalled that earlier, admissions were allowed for children aged between five years and 10 months and six years. Parents saw it as a more practical approach, with children born in November and December being disproportionately affected.
The issue of age criterion goes back to a government order issued in July 2022. The order mandated six years as the minimum age for Class 1 admission. Parents of children already enrolled in pre-primary classes, protested against the order and the state deferred implementation, announcing that the rule would come into force from the 2025-26 academic year.
After renewed pressure, the government granted a one-year relaxation for 2025-26, citing the large number of students affected and in consultation with the State Education Policy Commission. While announcing the exemption, the minister had stated that no further concessions would be allowed.
