Back to Index

Landslides damage highways in Bengal, Sikkim

          Tarkhola (WB)/Singtam (Sikkim): Landslides due to heavy rains have damaged national highways in Bengal and Sikkim, hampering traffic to other states too. The Highway 31A, which connects Siliguri in Bengal to Sikkim, is in a deplorable condition following heavy downpour over the past few days. Sikkim has been cut off from rest of the country following a major landslide at Sevoke in West Bengal. The situation worsened after a fresh landslide in Sikkim's Tarkhola area in Kalimpong district. Meanwhile, incessant rains have hampered repair works. Officials handling the repair work said they were working as hard as they could to finish clearing the debris from the road, so that regular vehicular traffic can resume. "To tackle this situation, we had already provided a diversion through the forest. The only restriction in that approach is that it is one way. So, we had already requested the West Bengal Government as well as the Sikkim Government to regulate the traffic on either side," said A K Dikshit, commanding officer of the border road task force. He added that otherwise there was no restriction for any type of vehicle, and a bridge has been provided for light vehicles.

          With the national highway being blocked, the supply of essential food articles and vegetables has been severely hit. Residents in Sikkim said that if immediate measures were not taken, there would be further scarcity in the market. "The problems that we are having to face because of this forced shut down are colossal. The things we used to buy for 10 rupees, we now have to buy them for 20 rupees, which is double the price. We want them (government) to fix this problem as soon as possible," said Bahadur, a local.
- September 21,  2007