NH 717A construction going on at war-footing, but dust poses a problem

YOWAN MOTHAY,  EOI,  KALIMPONG, NOVEMBER 26, 2023: With the onset of winter, the construction of National Highway 717A has resumed at war- footing. The construction work of NH 717A, a strategic road that reaches from Bagrakot in western Dooars to Reshikhola in Sikkim has been going on at a steady pace for the past four years, but the pace had suffered in the last rainy season. 

It may take, however, still some time for the construction of the road to be completed. It is not yet known how much more time it will take to complete the construction work from Bagrakot near the coal company to Nimbong located under Kalimpong Block-1. 

Moreover, the construction work of the stretch between Nimbong Bazar and Barbot Bazar does not seem to have started yet. The road from Nimbong to Kafer-Lolegaon is about to be paved, but it seems that only preliminary work for paving is being done on the road going down from there to Undo Bagrakot. 

As a result, students who come to Barbot Higher Secondary School and other private and government primary schools on foot along this road are bound to face problems. It seems that the students are in trouble because of the dust flying due to excavation still going on. 

When the big vehicles are driven repeatedly for the construction work, the dust is blown up. Especially primary level students seem to face this kind of problem more. 

Parents and conscious students are equally. Vehicles speeding down the dusty road could cause accidents too,. 

Aggrieved students and parents say that if the traffic is stopped between 8 o’ clock and 9 o’ clock in the morning, the problem of dust will reduce to some extent. Otherwise, water should be sprinkled on the under-construction stretches to settle the dust.