NH31A at Likhubir during monsoon

Kalimpong, Feb. 10: Alarmed by frequent disruption of the NH31A because of landslides during monsoon, the army has decided to press for prioritising the widening work of the Damdim-Rishi-Rhenok-Ranipool road — the alternative link to Sikkim and Kalimpong.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), which maintains the road, had started the widening work in 2003, but soon ran into litigation over land acquisition in tea gardens dotting the stretch from Damdim to Gorubathan.

Now, with the army pressing for an early completion of the work, the BRO has sought the help of the state land and land reforms (L&LR) department in acquiring garden land.

Sources in the BRO said 63 acres have to be acquired from five gardens — Ranichera, Sylee, Rangamati and Meenglass under Jalpaiguri district and Ambioke Tea Estate, in Darjeeling district.

“We have requested Bengal’s L&LR department to expedite the process of land acquisition, given the strategic importance of Sikkim and need to do something for the socio-economic uplift of the region,” the sources added.

They also said barring acquisition of garden land, there are no other teething problems in widening the road to national highway single lane (NHSL) specification.

“We have carried out joint surveys in forest land, but the garden authorities have always resisted our acquisition plans either by resorting to litigation or by causing inordinate delay in carrying out joint surveys,” the sources alleged.

The BRO authorities are, however, hopeful that with the majority of acquisition cases being referred to the L&LRO authorities in Calcutta, the process would pick up speed and they would be able to complete the widening work by the end of the next fiscal.

Till then though the people will have to depend on NH31A which had suffered extensive damages at various places because of rains and resultant landslides last monsoon. The BRO has been engaged in road restoration and is on the verge of completing resurfacing work from Sevoke to Lohapool.

The National Highways Authority of India, too, has completed resurfacing the 22-km stretch of road between Siliguri and Sevoke that it maintains.