GANGTOK, Sept 25: The stretch of National Highway 10, a key
road connecting Sikkim and the rest of the country via West
Bengal’s Siliguri, which was closed for over 24 hours due to a
cave-in following a landslide, is likely to be opened by Tuesday
as repairing work is on in full swing, an official said.
A large portion of the highway near Sethi Jhora, around 30 km
from Siliguri which is a major commercial hub in the northern
part of West Bengal, was washed away following heavy rain for
the past several days.
“That part of the road is closed and no vehicle is allowed. Work
is going on in full swing. The road is likely to be opened partially
by this evening or latest by tomorrow,” the official said.
The highway was closed by the authorities following a cave-in
on Sunday morning and vehicles are forced to take a detour to
reach their destinations, he said.
“To reach Sikkim from Siliguri or vice-versa, small vehicles are
now using a diversion from Teesta via Kurseong, or via Sangsey
to Lava-Gorubathan road and Coronation Bridge. Heavy
vehicles are taking the Chitrey Fatak-Kalimpong town-Lava
Gorubathan road-Coronation Bridge route,” the official said.
The movement of heavy vehicles is allowed only between 7 pm
to 6 am.
Sikkim is a landlocked state where almost all essential
commodities reach via Siliguri and trucks generally use NH-10.
According to a report from the Rangpo checkpost in the
northeastern state, the number of vehicles moving from Sikkim
has gone down considerably. (PTI)
