Landslide cuts off NH-55 at Tindharia

Darjeeling: Vehicular traffic has come to a standstill on the Kurseong-Siliguri section of the National Highway-55 with a large portion of the road washed away owing to a major landslide near Tindharia.

Heavy rains triggered the landslide at around 2:30 am on Friday. It occurred near the old hospital area of Tindharia Gairigaon at Lampatey. The railway lines have been damaged in the landslide. Officials of the district administration stated that a house has also been damaged in the slide. The residents have been shifted to safer locations.

The lifeline connecting Darjeeling to the plains of Siliguri has time and again been damaged by landslides. The stretch located in the Ghayabari, Tindharia area is highly vulnerable. The road had undergone repairs and had become operational from the beginning of this year.

However, there are alternative routes from Kurseong to Siliguri via Rohini and Pankhabari.