Recurring landslides and cave-ins, which were triggered by incessant rains, prompted the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) to impose a complete ban on the movement of all types of vehicles along a 30km stretch on NH10 between the Coronation Bridge at Sevoke and Chitrey from Tuesday evening till 8pm on August 15.

A fresh landslide at Likhubheer near 27th Mile disrupted traffic on a stretch of NH10 for almost an hour on Tuesday morning. Likhubheer is located between Sevoke and Chitrey.

This is the third time in the current month that traffic has been halted along the 30km-long stretch. As a result, vehicles bound for Kalimpong and Sikkim from Siliguri and vice versa will have to take detours through alternative roads.

“Earlier today, the NHIDCL had issued a notice mentioning that heavy vehicles cannot move along a 7km-long stretch between 27th Mile and Teesta Bazaar till the evening of August 15. However, later, another notice was issued which barred the movement of all vehicles along the 30–30-kilometre-long stretch from Tuesday evening till 8pm on August 15,” said a source.

Transporters in the hills as well as in the plains have pointed out that they have to bear additional costs as vehicles have to take alternative routes to reach Sikkim or Kalimpong from Siliguri.

“It will also take more time as taking alternative routes means an additional travel of 60 to 70 kilometres, vis-à-vis the distance from Siliguri to Gangtok or Kalimpong via NH10. A section of passengers is reluctant to pay more, and thus, we have to bear the extra fuel costs,” said a transporter based in Gangtok.

The situation has prompted the Himalayan Hospitality & Tourism Development Network (HHTDN), an apex body of people associated with the tourism sector, to write to the NHIDCL authorities, expressing their concern.

In the letter, the association has mentioned that it is not only the tourism sector but also the local economy of Sikkim and Kalimpong that are being impacted because of sudden halts in traffic through NH-10.

“It is not only tourism, but the economy of Sikkim and Kalimpong district was badly affected after the glacial lake outburst flood, which occurred in October 2023. So far, we have not noticed any permanent measures that have been taken to improve the current condition of the highway,” said Samrat Sanyal, the general secretary of HHTDN.