The present situation resembles that of yesterday, as there have been no new occurrences of erosion or landslides. However, national highway 10 remains closed and traffic is being redirected through Lava Kalimpong to connect Siliguri and Gangtok.
Specifically, the section of NH-10 between Likuveer and the 29th mile is currently inaccessible due to heavy rain in the last two days, causing substantial harm to the road. Additionally, a collapse has occurred on the right side of the Teesta river between Kalijhora and Hanuman Jhora, a popular tourist destination along NH-10.
Today, Raju Bista, the Member of Parliament from Darjeeling, held a meeting with Nitin Gadkari, the minister for road, transport and highways.
The purpose of the meeting was to inform him about the dire state of national highway 10, as this route plays a crucial role in connecting Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Dooars, and Sikkim to other parts of India.
“Although it has been nine months since the disaster, the NH division of the West Bengal public works department has not yet completed repairs, putting daily commuters and the local economy at risk. The delay in fixing NH-10 not only causes great difficulties for residents, but also hinders tourism, trade, commerce, and business in the area. As a result, I have appealed to Nitin Gadkari to transfer responsibility for the entire stretch of NH-10 to either NHAI or NHIDCL,” Mr Bista said in a Press statement.
“Nitin Gadkari quickly instructed his ministry staff to speed up the transfer of NH-10 from WB PWD to NHIDCL,” MP Mr Bista claimed today.
“I promise the public that the full responsibility of NH-10 will be handed over to NHIDCL, resulting in improved maintenance. This will greatly benefit the local residents residing along river Teesta, along with other affected areas,” he added.
According to Darjeeling MP, in October 2023, a severe flood on the Teesta River caused significant damage to an important highway. Despite the passage of time, many sections of NH-10 that were destroyed by the flood have not been repaired, resulting in frequent closures. The recent heavy rain in the area has only made matters worse, as the rising Teesta river has eroded the highway’s foundation. NH-10 is a vital link for the border region of Kalimpong, Darjeeling and Sikkim. The continued delay in fixing this road is causing inconvenience to residents and harming industries such as tourism, trade and commerce.