Himalayan Times (1954)

July 25, 1954

Iiiimalaitnii JTiittf*

Three

GYANTSE SWEPT AWAY BY FLOOD

INDIAN FORT COLLAPSED

(From Our Correspondent)

Gangtok,

Gyantse the third biggest
town in Tibet situated mid-
way between Gangtok and
Lhasa has been swept away
bv a Hood irX_ Namchung
river running [\ through the
main town of Gyantse on
the morning of seventeen
July. The Namchung rose
suddenly owing to the burs-
ting of the Rabong lake 15
miles north of Gyantse, and
submerged the whole town.
Only the monastery, were
to be seeii above the water.

Gyantse is the headquar-
ters of the Indian trade
agent and is the terminus
of the Indo Tibet teleg aph
line maintained by the Go.
vernment of India.

The fort i > which (he
personnels of Indian esco ts.
members of the [11 lian Trade
Agency and the staff of
the post and telegraph de-
partment use to resi le has
collapsed buring nearly all ■
ths resident';, it is learnt. ;
The Chinese military autho'-
rities who came from Lhasa •
have started digging the
debri»s, and til now five
dead bodies repotted to be
of Indian, have been found.

It is stated that nearly
twenty members of the
Indian mi'iurv personnels-.

July 23

stationed at Gyantse are
sate and there is 110 trace
for the others. They have
taken shelter, in the Gorkha
fort but there is no trace
of any living animals in the
valley The main town of
Gyantse is slill under water
but Hood is subsiding slowly.

Besides the Indian trlde
agent and his staff, there
are a few' Indian escorts
numbering abfHit 30 or 40
who are in the process of
being withdrawn under the
Sino-Indian treaty on Tibet
region of China...

The inundated citv has
a population of about 25,000
including a few India;! mer-
chants.

4 MEN DIES !N TRUCK
ACCIDENT

Kalimpong, July 23
■ Four persons have been
• killed in a truck accident
near eighteen mile .post of,
the Teesta valley post ac-
cording to a report receiv-
ed here. The truck,
it is s'atel, was proceeding
to - Siliguri from Kalimpong.
The truck rolled into Teesta
river with the. four occu- .
pants. The cause of .the
accident in reported to be
due to brake failure.

HIMALAYA KALA
MANDIR-

Darjeeling, July, 20.
The fifth anniversary
of the 'Himalaya Kala
Mandir, Darjeeling, was
performed on 18th July
1954 at 6 P.M. at N. N.H.P.
Hall premises, Shri T. K.
Pandit M.A, LL B. Vice-
president of the Institu-
tion presiding. The Hall
was packed tip with audi-
ence and the function was
a great success Mrs. 'G.
Jubbar was the Chief
Guest who was kind enough '
to donate Rs.100/- to the
the Kal.'imandir fund.
Ostadji Omar Khan the :
famous instrumental mu-
Btoian of India was re-
ceived on that occasion.'

Musical Soiree arranged
by the Kalamandir was
very much enjoyed and
appreciated by the large
gathering.

In conclusion Ostadji by
harping various classical
Indian tunes of very high
order on-the magic strings
of hisSwarad ami Setaren-
hanted the,whole audience
for about an hour.

Amidst joys and cheers,
the peformajiee ended at
about 10 p. m.

FOR Sale : Jubilee Villa,

(well furnished bungafow)
near Convent. Area includ-
ing the Building, officer's
quarter, servants quarter
and garden JVt70 acres.

Enquiries to be made at
Jubilee Villa, Kalimpong.