‘Sudden’ closure of INA bypass triggers traffic chaos in Darjeeling
Darjeeling: Traffic movement was thrown into disarray on Thursday morning after the Army allegedly closed the INA bypass road without prior public notice, triggering confusion and long delays amidst the ongoing tourist season.
Vehicles bound for Siliguri, mainly those carrying tourists heading to catch flights and trains, faced severe disruption and were compelled to turn back and take alternate routes.
The INA bypass serves as a critical link between Ghoom and Darjeeling for vehicles bound for Siliguri. The route is commonly used as a one-way to avoid serpentine jams on the NH110, also known as Hill Cart Road, which has many narrow stretches and frequent bottlenecks between Ghoom and Darjeeling. A stretch of about one kilometre of the bypass near Ghoom falls under Army jurisdiction and also connects to the Jalapahar Army cantonment.
“For the past few days, the Army has been conducting regular checks on the vehicles traversing this road. Though they have not issued any official notification that the road will be closed for civilians, they have been telling the taxi drivers that from January 1, the road will be shut down for civilian vehicles and today they did so, causing grave problems and further aggravating the already bad traffic situation,” stated Pradeep Lama, president, Darjeeling and Kalimpong District Taxi Owners Association.
“The Indian Army is known for its helpful attitude. In remote areas of Sikkim, they help tourists and locals by providing shelter, food and medical aid during natural calamities, including heavy snowfall causing road blockades. If they have problems with civilians using their stretch of the road, then they should have objected when the INA bypass was built years ago. Why this sudden change in attitude now?” he said, adding that there has to be coordination between the Army and the district administration.
“The district administration has to look into this problem and a permanent solution has to be worked out,” Lama said.
The Army could not be contacted for comments.
Meanwhile, commuters received some relief with the reopening of Rohini Road, the vital link between Siliguri and Kurseong. The road had remained closed since October 4, 2025, after a major landslide near Zero Point caused by continuous rainfall. Following extensive repair work carried out on a priority basis, traffic was restored from Thursday.
During an inspection on December 30, Anit Thapa, Chief Executive, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, had said: “Although traffic will resume, lining and some additional repair works will continue alongside.
Engineers from the Kurseong Engineering Department have constructed a 6-metre RCC structure from the base, a 3-metre RCC up to eight steps, and more than 25 steps in total. A sausage wall has also been built for added protection.” The reopening of Rohini Road will significantly reduce travel time and distance for commuters.
