Demand for alternative road to Kalimpong to bypass landslide-prone NH 10

YOWAN MOTHAY EOI, KALIMPONG, AUGUST 29/, 21: With landslides disrupting traffic on the National Highway 10 between Seti Jhora and Likhuvir frequently, people of Kalimpong are facing problems in commuting to Siliguri. 

They have frequently to get held-up in traffic jams for hours. There is a danger of accidents too on the road. 

With the demand for an alternative highway for people of Kalimpong to commute to Siliguri, several initiatives were taken last year to set up an alternative road bypassing the stretch of National Highway 10 between SetiJhora and Likhuvir which is prone to disruptions. 

The alternative road was planned to connect Kalimpong town with Kalijhora on N. H. 10 via Pala, Khani, Sinji, Samathan and Panbu. 

According to an official source in Kalimpong, the use of this alternative route entails the use of a National Hydroelectric Power Corporation bridge to cross river Teesta. 

NHPC authorities are, however, reluctant to allow the bridge to be used for possible impact on the dam. Most passengers have, therefore, to use the existing route where the road from Kalimpong meets N. H. 10 at Teesta. 

“Last year, we formed a committee and took several initiatives through it to set up an alternative route as some parts of the highway are dangerous,” Convenor of Alternative Highway Demand Committee Sandip Jain said on Sunday. 

“The distance to Kalihora where this route meets N. H. 10 is only 11 kms. We also succeeded to an extent. However, there are some obstacles on this route as the use of an NHPC bridge is involved. NHPC is allowing the bridge to be used only for emergency services.” Jain said the committee would soon submit a memorandum to NHPC to allow small vehicles to use the bridge. 

A permanent solution to the problem of an alternative highway could only be found if the government built a bridge over river Teesta connecting with the alternative route. 

The Committee was pursuing this possibility too with the government, he added. While the setting up of an alternative route to Kalimpong would help not only common people but also army formations located in Kalimpong and adjoining areas, it is pointed out that the spots on N. H. 10 prone to landslides between SetiJhora and Likhuvir also need a permanent solution as the highway is the lifeline to Sikkim, used by the civilian population as well as the army. 

Because of landslides and rising water level of river Teesta during the monsoon many parts of the road surface on the highway in that stretch have been eroded. 

The road is not even paved, making travelling a risky proposition during the monsoon. The possibility of the road collapsing suddenly cannot be ruled out. 

An official source said on Sunday that the stretch of the road was repaired periodically on a temporary basis by the West Bengal State PWD. Being a national highway, however, the initiative for any major revamp of the road would, however, have to be taken by the Centre.

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