Darjeeling: Incessant rainfall that damaged the National Highway (NH) 10, the lifeline of Sikkim. The road is damaged in two places in the Kalimpong district stretch. Rockfall has also been reported. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has also issued heavy rainfall warnings in the North Bengal districts.
The National Highway 10 connects the plains of Siliguri in the Darjeeling district to Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. The highway passes through the Kalimpong district also. “The road has been damaged at Melli and Kirney, hence heavy vehicles will be restricted. Rock and debris are falling near Likhubir.
Travellers are urged to use alternate routes,” stated Srihari Pandey, Superintendent of Police, Kalimpong. Later during the day rockfall was also reported at Birikdanra on the Teesta to Sevoke stretch. Rockfall was also reported from Mamkhola near Melli. Heavy rains resulted in a massive, old banyan tree being uprooted at Hashmi Chowk in Siliguri at around 2 am on Thursday, damaging a Hanuman temple. The fallen tree completely blocked the road connecting Hashmi Chowk to Sevoke More.
Workers from the Siliguri Municipal Corporation removed the tree along with other debris, opening up the road. The IMD in a weather bulletin stated: “The well marked low pressure area over Gangetic West Bengal & neighbourhood moved slowly northwestward and lay over northeast Jharkhand over northeast Jharkhand and adjoining Gangetic West Bengal at 0830 hrs IST of today, the 19th June 2025.
The associated upper air cyclonic circulation extends up to 7.6 km above mean sea level tilting southwards with height. It is likely to move slowly northwestwards during the next 24 hours. In view of the above system, light to moderate rainfall at most places with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely in some districts of West Bengal during next 24 hours.”
Rainfall recorded in the last 24 hours (recorded at 8.30 am on Thursday) Darjeeling 62.2 mm, Sevoke 44.8 mm, Siliguri 9.9 mm and Kalimpong 104.6 mm.