The Sikkim state roads and bridges minister has written to Union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari, seeking a new all-weather corridor to connect the mountain state with the rest of the country.

Sikkim minister Nar Bahadur Dahal, in his letter last week, stressed the need for “a new corridor designed for all-season reliability and high-speed connectivity”, said a source privy to the letter.

Dahal stressed the need for thorough repair and restoration of NH10, the main highway that connects his state with the rest of the country.

“The minister (Dahal) pointed out frequent landslides and sinking zones in different stretches of NH10. He also wrote how erosion by the Teesta river that runs parallel to the highway has impacted the carriageway in many places, making two-way traffic risky,” said the source.

Dahal also wrote that frequent NH10 closures and disruptions affected patients in the hills who needed advanced treatment in Siliguri and other places in the plains, as well as the supply chain of essential commodities, including fuel and medicines.