Northeast Desk, 4th July: In response to ongoing road restoration efforts on National Highway 10 (NH-10), authorities have issued directives for taxis and heavy vehicles to use alternate routes due to the presence of numerous vulnerable points along the highway that could be further damaged. Consequently, only private, government, and emergency vehicles will be permitted to travel from Teesta to Siliguri via NH-10.
Previously, Minister Nitin Gadkari had acknowledged that the 52-kilometer stretch of NH-10 is susceptible to disruptions caused by landslides and valley-side subsidence, issues worsened by the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood in October 2023. To mitigate these challenges, the Ministry has allocated Rs 394 crore for landslide mitigation projects across 19 locations in the 2023-24 financial year and Rs 125 crore for similar efforts at 16 locations in 2024-25.
One of these projects, valued at Rs 68.49 crore, has already been awarded, while the remaining five are currently in the bidding stage.
Highlighting the critical nature of this infrastructure, Sikkim’s Rajya Sabha MP, Dorjee Tshering Lepcha, addressed the urgency of repairing NH-10 during the Rajya Sabha session on July 30. Lepcha emphasized that NH-10 is Sikkim’s primary lifeline, crucially connecting the state to Siliguri, and underscored the need for swift completion of these repairs to ensure reliable transportation and economic stability for the region.