GANGTOK, Aug 4: Sikkim’s lifeline NH-10 was closed for three days as a critical crack was spotted on the highway, officials said on Monday.
The crack developed on the highway in West Bengal’s Kalimpong district, they said.
Due to safety considerations, it was shut at 8 pm on Sunday between Coronation Bridge and Chitrey, they added.
The highway will remain shut till 6 pm on August 6, and by that time, the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) is hoping to complete the repair works, officials said.
The disaster-prone highway connects Sikkim’s capital Gangtok to West Bengal’s Siliguri at the foothills.
The closure of the highway is also expected to affect traffic to Kalimpong.
The Kalimpong Police have asked small vehicles heading to Gangtok from Siliguri to take alternative routes, via Damdim-Gorubathan-Lava-Alagarah and Bagrakote-Lava-Alagarah.
However, the movement of heavy vehicles between Siliguri and Gangtok has been stopped. (PTI)