NH55 stretch repair plan

(From left) Deb, Dastidar and Siliguri MLA Rudranath Bhattacharya at the inauguration of Lalpool Bridge
in Naxalbari .  (Kundan Yolmo)

TT, Siliguri, Nov. 18: The stretch between Kurseong and Darjeeling on NH55 will be repaired, ministers Sudarshan Ghosh Dastidar and Gautam Deb announced here yesterday.

Projects related to tourism and transport facilities would also be taken up, they said.

“We intend to develop the road (NH55) between Rohini (in Kurseong) and Darjeeling. The project would be taken up in consultation with the NHAI (National Highways Authority of India) and Rs 22 crore would be spent for it,” Dastidar, the state PWD minister, said.

The highway connects Siliguri with Darjeeling via Kurseong. The stretch between Siliguri and Kurseong is closed since 2010 and vehicles take the Rohini route to travel between the two places. The 40km-stretch between Kurseong and Darjeeling is in bad condition and has not been repaired recently.

Dastidar also said: “We will improve the road between Ghoom and Tiger Hill and create amenities like toilet blocks. As thousands of domestic and foreign tourists visit Tiger Hill every year, the view point would be improved as well.”

Toilet blocks with motels would be built in two places in the Darjeeling hills and three locations in the plains.

“In Darjeeling, such blocks would be built near the Chowrastha and in Mirik. In the plains, three such blocks would be built at Fulbari (on the outskirts of Siliguri) and along Burdwan Road and near the Tenzing Norgay Central Bus Terminus in Siliguri,” north Bengal development minister Gautam Deb said.

He added that an agency was drafting a detailed project report to build a bridge over the Teesta river near Sevoke Bazaar here. The bridge was planned after cracks were found in the 70-year-old Coronation Bridge that connects Siliguri with the Dooars via NH31. The proposed bridge will reduce the distance by around 10km.

“The report would be prepared shortly after which a global tender would be invited for the bridge,” Deb said.

The ministers said funds had been sanctioned by the Union ministry of surface transport to repair NH31D that connects Siliguri and Cooch Behar and the Bagdogra-Ghoshpukur stretch of NH31.

“We have got Rs 89 crore for repairing the Fulbari-Dhupguri stretch on NH31D. Another Rs 15 crore has reached us for the repair of NH31 between Ghoshpukur and Bagdogra. The highway division of state PWD will do the work. Officials have been instructed to start the work so that it is over before 2014 monsoons,” Deb said.