A massive landslide struck NH10 before dawn on Saturday between Kalijhora and Sevoke, leaving the highway that connects Sikkim and Kalimpong district with the rest of the country buried under boulders.

The debris-strewn road forced panicked travellers to thread through narrow farm pathways as an earth-mover struggled to carve out a semblance of passage.

This calamity marks yet another blow to a highway already buckling under relentless monsoon fury.

In the past few months, there were multiple landslides and cave-ins at 29 Mile, Kalijhora, Selfie Dara, Birik Dara, Melli and beyond. These incidents led to a complete halt in traffic for days along a 30km-long stretch between Sevoke and Chitray
in Kalimpong.

The National Highways & Infrastructure Development Limited (NHIDCL), which maintains the highway, had to work on a war footing to clear the roadblocks.

The trouble deepened as the swollen Teesta submerged large stretches of NH10 at 29th Mile and a landslide at Tarkhola in Kalimpong cut off the access entirely.

On Saturday, the highway remained closed for traffic between Kalijhora and Sevoke, and vehicles had to take alternative routes to reach Sikkim and Kalimpong from Siliguri and vice versa.

The road was cleared around 3pm. “NH10 has been open for all vehicles. The boulders and debris have been cleared,” said Srihari Pandey, the superintendent of police of Kalimpong.

Stakeholders of the tourism industry fear intermittent landslides and cave-ins will keep visitors away from the region during the ensuing festive season.

“The problem of landslides and cave-ins is persistent along NH10 and NH717A, which are key routes to Sikkim and Kalimpong. These days, the condition of NH717A, which serves as an important alternative, has deteriorated. This has complicated the situation,” said Samrat Sanyal, general secretary, Himalayan Hospitality & Tourism Development Network.

“We are worried whether the road connectivity will be steady during the ensuing tourism season. If the roads are in a bad state, tourists will stay away,” he added.

Weather experts, on the other hand, have said there is a forecast of heavy rainfall during the next few days in the sub-Himalayan Bengal and Sikkim. “The southwest monsoon is still active in the region. That is why there is a forecast of more rainfall. People should be alert as the monsoonal downpour can trigger landslides, flash floods and can also reduce the visibility on roads,” said an expert.