Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande visited North Bengal and Sikkim on 8th and 9th October and took stock of the flood situation. General Pande, accompanied by Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen Rana Pratap Kalita and GOC Trishakti Corps Lt Gen VPS Kaushik over flew the flood affected areas on 8th October to assess the situation.
The Army Chief interacted with the Chief Minister of Sikkim PS Tamang and assured him of all assistance. The Indian Army officer posted their briefed the Army Chief about the initial damage assessment and plans for restoration of affected roads and bridges. Senior Army Officials along with Engineer Officers of Trishakti Corps have been undertaking detailed ground reconnaissance over past few days. Number of meetings have been held with all agencies and a plan has been formulated.
During the visit, the Army Chief interacted with the troops and commended them for the perseverance and dedication displayed during these challenging times. He also commended the troops for maintaining high state of operational readiness along the borders while the rescue and reconstruction work is being undertaken in the hinterland.