People in the Darjeeling hills woke up to a cold and wet bandh morning today and were dogged by prolonged power cuts, an erratic communication network and landslides.

Thirteen houses were damaged in Kurseong and their occupants had to be shifted elsewhere following landslides triggered by heavy rain that has been lashing the hills since Monday. In Lodhama, 60km from Darjeeling, a landslip damaged a house and four people suffered minor injuries.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha did not help matters by picketing the relief office in Darjeeling on the second day of Phase II of its indefinite shutdown, while the threat of landslip loomed over certain parts of the subdivision.

“In the morning, I sent my subordinates to the office to take stock of the situation following the incessant rain since Monday. However, they were not allowed to enter the office by picketers,” said an official of the relief department on condition of anonymity.

Soon reports of a landslip from Toongsoong in Darjeeling started coming in. When told about it, the Morcha supporters allowed the employees of the relief department to enter the office. The department distributes tarpaulins and other relief material to areas hit by landslides.

Both cellular and Internet services were frequently disrupted in Darjeeling today and BSNL officials put the blame on the indefinite shutdown.

“The telephone exchange has been shut because of the indefinite strike. Maintenance work cannot be carried out until the bandh is called off. Even I am not in Darjeeling right now because of the shutdown,” said Satyendra Singh, a subdivisional engineer posted at Darjeeling Telephone Exchange.

“I don’t know if the BSNL employees are deliberately using the bandh as a pretext to keep the office closed because essential services have been exempted by the Morcha,” said A. Tamang of Toongsoong. “Or maybe the party has failed to properly communicate the matter to BSNL.”

Telephone lines were down in Kurseong as well.

Strong winds and rain snapped power lines in various places in Darjeeling and most parts of the town had to go without electricity for almost 14 hours at a stretch.

“The 132kv sub-stations at Phubshering and Happy Valley had major breakdowns. We hope to restore power supply by evening,” said an engineer of the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd in Darjeeling.

Kurseong, too, was without electricity for the whole of last night and most of today. Power was restored this afternoon.

The heavy rain meant students arrived in schools soaking wet. But many schools in Darjeeling could not hold classes as the teachers had gone to take part in a rally in support of Gorkhaland. Educational institutions have been kept outside the purview of the second phase of the shutdown.

Most people in the hills remained indoors. “I spent the day at home sleeping under a quilt,” said Sunil Prasad of Dhobi Khola in Kurseong.