NH 10 reopens after 3 days; heavy rainfall inundates parts of Dooars

Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri: After three long days, National Highway 10, the lifeline of Sikkim, finally opened on Sunday evening. Heavy rains on Saturday and the wee hours of Sunday left large tracts of Dooars inundated. On Saturday afternoon, a man died after being struck by lightning in Jalpaiguri.

Heavy rains had triggered continuous landslides and rockfalls since 11 am on Friday at Km 11.2 (Birik Danra) halting vehicular movement along National Highway 10. National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), deployed an adequate number of earth movers to clear the debris. However, the persistent rockfall hampered the progress of restoration work. The highway remained closed to traffic. Finally at around 6 pm on Sunday, the road was finally opened to traffic. A large tree uprooted at Bhalukhop blocking the road from Mongpu to Rambi on Sunday morning. The tree was removed and traffic resumed late in the afternoon.

On Saturday afternoon, a man named Dilip Roy (50) died after being struck by lightning while planting paddy in a field in the Chapgarh area under Amguri Gram Panchayat in Maynaguri. Heavy rainfall since Saturday night caused the Sukani River to overflow, flooding at least 50 homes in Noyaline village under Sulkapara Panchayat of Nagrakata. Water entered homes and kitchens early Sunday, leaving families stranded without the ability to cook. Residents reported that floodwaters soaked cooking stoves and essential items. “Water flooded the kitchen and soaked the stove. I haven’t been able to cook anything for my children,” said local resident Fulan Begum. “The village roads are in poor condition. With water everywhere, we can’t see potholes. Several people have already fallen and been injured,” added Banu Begum.

While the administration has sent some dry food, residents remain in distress. Civil Defence personnel have also been deployed, according to Nagrakata BDO Pankaj Konar.

Flooding was also reported in Kherkata due to the rising Diana River and in Jayanti, Alipurduar, where water entered low-lying areas. In Binnaguri’s Hatinala, water levels rose slightly on Friday night.

Krishnendu Bhowmik, Chief Engineer of the Irrigation department, noted that North Bengal has received only 1,000 mm of rainfall so far this year—well below the 3,400 mm annual average. “The reduced rainfall has helped avoid major damage so far, but flood control rooms will remain active until October 31,” he said.