Union transport ministry accords top priority to restore Darjeeling's NH55

SILIGURI: Repair of NH55 will likely commence in the near future as the Union transport ministry has accorded priority to the work for restoring the lifeline of the Darjeeling hills, which was snapped four years ago following a landslide.

The 78-km-long highway, popularly called Hill Cart Road, connects Darjeeling at an altitude of 6,000 ft above sea level in West Bengal with the rest of the country via Siliguri. Around 150 meters of the road at Tindharia had been washed away in a landslide in September 2011, practically cutting off the whole hilly habitation of around 6 lakh. A part of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a world heritage site, was also damaged.

Though an alternate route was developed for vehicles, the train service remained affected.

The Union government had sanctioned Rs 83 crore in March 2013 for the repair work. But the process itself had a bumpy ride.

“Following some technical problems regarding the design for the restoration of the highway, the Union ministry has terminated the tender of the interested organisation. A consultancy agency has been hired to re-survey the site and to prepare a new plan," said a PWD official.

Darjeeling MP SS Ahluwalia said following his initiatives, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has now taken up the matter on priority. The cost of the project has more than doubled due to price escalation and other technical reasons, Ahluwalia said.

The ministry is in the process of getting modified proposal prepared for awarding the work under the engineering, procurement and construction mode, the MP said, citing a letter from Gadkari. A consultant has been directed to expedite preparation of modified proposal, he said.