A major landslide near Singtam in Sikkim following incessant rainfall disrupted traffic on NH10 — the vital road connecting the Himalayan state with Siliguri — for around five hours on Thursday.
The landslide occurred at 20th Mile, about 80km from Siliguri, around 8am after heavy rainfall battered several parts of Sikkim over the past 24 hours.
According to sources in the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Mazitar recorded the highest rainfall in Sikkim, nearly 110mm, during the past 24 hours.
“The continuous heavy rain in various parts of Sikkim triggered the landslide near Singtam. NHIDCL (National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited), which is currently overseeing maintenance work on NH10, immediately deployed personnel and machinery to clear the debris,” an administrative source said.
The NHIDCL managed to clear the massive pile of rubble and restore traffic by around 2pm. However, traffic between Gangtok and Siliguri via Singtam and Rangpo remained slow as authorities continued to monitor the highway's condition.
During the five hours, vehicles took alternative routes to reach Gangtok from Rangpo and vice versa.
Officials said NHIDCL teams were maintaining close coordination with the district administrations in Sikkim and Bengal amid apprehensions of further landslides because of ongoing rainfall.
The IMD has forecast adverse weather conditions in most parts of Sikkim and north Bengal till June 24.
Districts including Namchi, Pakyong, Soreng and Gangtok in Sikkim, along with Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar in Bengal, are likely to experience thunderstorms accompanied by heavy rainfall over the next 48 hours, weather officials said.
The IMD has also warned of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall — with precipitation of up to 200mm — in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts on Sunday.
Siliguri and several other parts of north Bengal remained under overcast skies throughout Thursday, while heavy showers lashed many areas later in the evening.
Demonstration
BJP supporters staged a demonstration in the borough I office of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) in Mallaguri on Thursday, protesting against poor drainage infrastructure and persistent waterlogging in ward 46.
The BJP submitted a memorandum to the borough office, setting an ultimatum for the civic administration to improve civic services in the locality within a week, failing which the party would launch a larger movement.
Officials in the borough office received the memorandum and assured the protesters that necessary steps would be taken to resolve the problems.