Kalimpong district admin adopts measures to improve safety
Darjeeling: The Kalimpong district administration has earmarked vulnerable and accident-prone areas on the stretch of the National Highway (NH) 10, falling on the Bengal side. Safety measures are being adopted on these stretches along with warning signs to alert drivers of dangerous stretches.
The National Highway 10 is a strategically important road connecting the border state of Sikkim with the plains of Bengal. It is also dubbed the lifeline of Sikkim. The highway plays a vital role in facilitating travel, trade and tourism along with national security. The NH 10 spans approximately 174 km out of which the stretch falling in Bengal from Sevoke to Rangpo, running along the river Teesta is around 52 km. The Sikkim stretch from Rangpo to the capital Gangtok is about 122 km.
The road, ravaged by landslides, especially during monsoons, has been a witness to many accidents. On November 30, a bus travelling from Siliguri to Gangtok veered off the NH 10 at Andheri, near Rangpo checkpost under Lava Police Station and landed on the banks of River Teesta.
The accident left seven dead and 16, including the driver and helper, injured. On December 1, PWD NH 10, police and Regional Transport Office team conducted a joint visit to assess the safety requirements and identified vulnerable stretches. “After identifying the vulnerable stretches, some immediate measures have been taken, including placing sandbags, reflector stickers, warning signs and speed barriers. This has been completed between Chitrey to Rangpo. The same will be done for the stretch between Chitrey to Sevoke also” stated T Balasubramanian, District Magistrate, Kalimpong, while talking to Millennium Post.
Incidentally, the 52.10 km Sevoke-Rangpo section in Bengal of the National Highway 10, has been handed over to the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) from the state PWD for development and maintenance. A notification to this effect was published in the Gazette of India on October 29, 2024. The handover is in a transition phase and soon will be completed with the NHIDCL taking charge.
