Roads of alternative routes to NH 10 cries for repair

YOWAN MOTHAY, EOI, KALIMPONG, MAY 7, 2024 ; Due to construction work on the current National Highway 10, there is too much pressure of vehicular traffic on the road connecting Kalijhoda to Panbu through Mandir Khola to Reli Kalimpong. 

As an alternative route, Kalimpong and Sikkim bound vehicles are seen plying along this road. Since the road from Special Kalijhoda through Panbu to Samthar to Mandir Khola has not been repaired since the time of its construction, the road has reached a deplorable condition. In some places, the culverts laid many years ago have been washed away by the rains, and the drains have been blocked with stones and mud, and the rainwater has flowed from the middle of the road, making the condition of the road deplorable.

In some places, the road is narrow and there is only one-way traffic. Some drivers also say that vehicles are finding it difficult to pass. During the closure of National Highway 10, most of the vehicles from Sikkim and Kalimpong are moving through these alternative routes. Reliable sources say that many inspections and applications have been submitted in the past to make this road a state highway. 

According to Yangmakum panchayat committee member Dhanraj Bhujel, the department and district administration are looking into this matter. As most of the vehicles of government officials and VIP vehicles are also passing through this route, there are chances that the road may become rough in the future. He said that if this road can be repaired at many places and the traffic can be organized in order to make this road smooth, it can be a great convenience for the passengers and the vehicles traveling through this road to Kalimpong and Sikkim. He also said that since the future of National Highway 10 is not certain, if the alternative roads are repaired and wide roads are built to facilitate traffic, they can prove to be alternatives to National Highway 10 even during the rainy season.