Siliguri: The National Highway 10 (NH10), which links Kalimpong in West Bengal and Sikkim, has been shut for three days from Sunday evening after a portion of the highway developed cracks following landslides, officials said.
The West Bengal portion of the highway developed cracks after landslides at multiple locations on Sunday.
“A stretch of around 30 km of NH10, between Sevoke and Chitrey, would have to be shut down from 8 pm on August 3 to 6 pm on August 6,” the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) issued an order on Sunday evening.
The order, issued by general manager of Siliguri NHIDCL Rahul Kumar Gupta, said “the damages have raised serious concerns about the safety of commuters, prompting authorities to act to prevent any mishaps.”
“The closure is in effect until further notice, pending assessment and necessary repair works,” the order added.
Light motor vehicles and small passenger vehicles travelling to and from Sikkim’s Gangtok were advised to use three alternate routes: Siliguri – Jorbungalow – Teesta Bazaar – Rangpo – Gangtok; Siliguri – Sevoke – Damdim – Gorubathan – Lava – Alagarah – Rangpo – Gangtok; and Siliguri – Sevoke – Bagrakote – Lava – Alagarah – Rangpo – Gangtok, via National Highway-717A.
Movement of heavy vehicles has been restricted to and from Gangtok due to the current fragile ground conditions.
{{/usCountry}}Movement of heavy vehicles has been restricted to and from Gangtok due to the current fragile ground conditions.
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