Sikkim, north Bengal affected as landslides damage NH-10 following heavy rain

Repair work has to be suspended because a portion of NH-10 between Sethi Jhora and Birik Dara is still inundated, officials said

Road link between Sikkim and neighbouring West Bengal has been affected, as landslides triggered by incessant rainfall since Monday have caused massive damage to National Highway (NH)-10 at several locations.

Officials said vehicles operating between Sikkim and Siliguri and Kalimpong and Siliguri are taking a detour because of damage to NH-10 that had to be stalled because a portion of the highway is still inundated. (Representational Image)

Incessant rainfall also caused landslides at 29th Mile in West Bengal’s Kalimpong district on Tuesday.

“Though NH-10, which connects Sikkim and Siliguri, north Bengal’s biggest town, via the Kalimpong district, was opened for a couple of hours on Tuesday afternoon, it had to be closed again late at night,” said Subodh Chettri, executive engineer-II, public works department (PWD), division-9, West Bengal.

Chettri said repair work has been hampered due to heavy rainfall and the NH-10 stretch at Rambi in Kalimpong district is likely to have suffered further damage.

Repair work has to be suspended because a portion of NH-10 between Sethi Jhora and Birik Dara is still inundated, the officials said.

Vehicles operating between Sikkim and Siliguri and Kalimpong and Siliguri are taking a detour.

“Though it is raining incessantly since Tuesday, we have not yet received any report about a loss of human life. The Siliguri-Mirik road was closed on Wednesday morning at Ghayabari. Several wards under the Siliguri Municipal Corporation have reported waterlogging,” said S Poonambalam, district magistrate (DM), Darjeeling.

Tenzing T Kaleon, district collector (DC), North Sikkim, said, “The roads leading to the border with China are open because the area has not recorded heavy rainfall yet.”