Darjeeling district police on Friday diverted traffic from a stretch of NH10 near Sevoke as boulders and debris were plummeting onto the road from the hillside following a massive landslide on Thursday morning.
The highway connects Sikkim and Kalimpong with Siliguri.
According to an order issued by the superintendent of police of Darjeeling on Friday, traffic on the highway was severely affected after the landslide near Shiv Mandir in Sevoke.
Although debris was cleared and traffic resumed briefly after 15 hours on Thursday evening, the sporadic descent of boulders and debris at the site prompted the authorities to suspend normal traffic along the vulnerable stretch.
“As the slope remains unstable and debris continues to fall intermittently, immediate restoration of normal traffic is not possible,” the order stated.
To ensure commuter safety, the police have advised that vehicles travelling from Sikkim to Siliguri be diverted through the Moonsong-Gorubathan route. In contrast, vehicles from Kalimpong may use the Coronation Bridge-Mongpong-Gajoldoba route until the landslide threat is fully mitigated.
“The commuters are advised to follow the designated diversion routes and avoid unnecessary travel along the affected stretch until the highway is declared safe,” said a source.
North Bengal development minister Nisith Pramanik said his department was preparing a comprehensive annual action plan to strengthen disaster preparedness and mitigate the impact of floods, landslides and other natural calamities across the region.
The minister said several precautionary measures had already been put in place before the monsoon. These include identifying landslide-prone and flood-prone hotspots, stockpiling relief materials, earmarking relief centres and keeping disaster response agencies, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), on alert.
“We have already held a preparatory meeting for the monsoon at Uttarkanya in the presence of all departments concerned. Some preventive measures are being taken by identifying vulnerable zones, and relief agencies, including the NDRF, have been alerted. We could not implement an annual action plan this year because of time constraints, but it will be introduced next year," Pramanik said.