Landslides ground tourists in hills

Deep Gazmer | TNN | Oct 14, 2016, DARJEELING/GANGTOK: With incessant rains triggering landslides and washing away roads, hundreds of home-bound tourists are stranded in different parts of the Darjeeling hills and Sikkim.

Vehiclular movement between Siliguri and the hills has been severely affected due to a series of landslides on NH 10 (formerly NH 31A) at Kalijhora in Kalimpong subdivision.Almost 50 metres of the road has caved-in here. The state government has initiated restoration work on a war-footing, deploying relief and rescue teams at Darjeeling and Mirik. Special arrangements are being made to bring the stranded tourists down.

"Relief work has started.We have also sent teams with specialised machines for the restoration of NH 10. Senior officials are at the spot," said state tourism minister Gautam Deb, who has rushed to the hills on CM Mamata Ba nerjee's instruction.

On Wednesday , hundreds of tourists returning from Gangtok and other hill towns missed their trains and flights as they remained stranded in their vehicles for hours.

With only one vehicle crossing the treacherous Kalijhora stretch at a time, the queue of tourist cabs extended for miles on either side. The jam continued on Thursday as more people left the hills at the end of their Puja holidays. Pooja Gurung, a student from Gangtok studying in Kolkata said she missed her train from NJP on Wednesday evening. She had to join college on Thursday. "It took me five hours to cross the stretch and I missed my train," Pooja said.

Vehicles towards Sikkim are being diverted through alternative routes via Darjeeling and Teesta and Kalimpong -Monsong-Rangpo or Kalimpong-Melli-Rangpo route.

As per an official report from Rangpo, light vehicles, especially cars from Siliguri are being allowed to pass slowly since Thursday morning.

In the bus and taxi stands of Rangpo, Singtam and Gangtok in Sikkim, long que ues of anxious passengers were seen waiting for taxis from Siliguri all through Thursday. Cabs were not easi ly available, making it diffi cult for the travellers.

Darjeeling district ma gistrate Anurag Srivastava said a road leading to a temporary bridge over the Rakti near Garidhura got washed away on Wednesday as the stream over flew. The damaged road snapped the direct link between Siliguri and Mirik.

Vehicles coming downhill from Kurseong to Siliguri and those travelling between Mirik and Siliguri are taking a 25-km detour through Panighata Road via Bagdogra to reach their destination.