NH 10 traffic-worthy now, says Nitin Gadkari

SANJAY AGARWAL, EOI, RANGPO, OCT 23/, 2022:  In a letter to Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Rameshwar Teli, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has said the entire stretch of National Highway 10 from Sevoke to Gangtok has been made traffic-worthy. 

After a three-day tour of Sikkim beginning on September 12 last, Rameshwar Teli had written a letter to Nitin Gadkariabout the deplorable condition ofN.H. 10, what he had experiencedwhile negotiating the road during his visit. During his visit, he had assured that he would raise the issue with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.\

Nitin Gadkari in his reply to Rameshwar Teli has written that the Sevoke – Rangpo section of N.H. 10 was damaged due to the heavy monsoon in 2021. The situation was aggravated by the tunnelling work of Sevoke – Rangpo railway project and the severe draw down effect in reservoirs of Teesta Low Dam Projects over river Teesta. 

All such damage had now been repaired and the road had been made worthy of traffic. The Rangpo – Gangtok section of N.H10 had also been kept traffic-worthy throughout the last monsoon season despite facing several landslides and the issue of the sinking of the road on this stretch. Besides, a project forturning the Shivmandir – Bagdograto Sevoke army cantonmentsection of N. H. 10 into a four- to six-lane road had recently beensanctioned by the Ministry at a costof about Rs 1,000 crore. The processof issuing tenders for the projectwas now being finalized.Besides, tenders for a projectworth about Rs 148 crore to developthe Sevoke – Rangpo section of N. H.10 were also under process. Besides,the Ministry for Road Transportand Highways had planned to takeup slope stabilization work at 16vulnerable locations with anestimated cost of Rs 1,000 crore. TheMinistry had completed about onekilometre of viaduct at Rangpobetween km 51 and km 53.9, a two-lane traffic tunnel at Chisopani of250-metre length together withapproaches from km 67.080 to km67.5 and a 48-metre bridge overChuba Khola from km 75.3 to km75.8 on the Rangpo – Gangtoksection of N H. 10.