NH-10, connecting Sikkim and West Bengal, closed for three days as massive crack emerges

National Highway 10, which connects Sikkim with West Bengal and is dubbed as the lifeline of the northeastern state has been shut for three days starting from Sunday evening.

This comes following a major crack on the highway in West Bengal's Kalimpong district. The highway was shut at 8 pm on Sunday between Coronation Bridge and Chitrey.

The stretch will not be opened till 6 pm on Wednesday, by which time the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) is hoping to complete the repair works.


“A stretch of around 30 km of NH10, between Sevoke and Chitrey, would have to be shut down from 8 pm on August 3 to 6 pm on August 6,” the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) issued an order on Sunday evening.

The order has been issued by general manager of Siliguri NHIDCL Rahul Kumar Gupta. The order stated “the damages have raised serious concerns about the safety of commuters, prompting authorities to act to prevent any mishaps.”

The highway, which is often prone to natural disasters, connects Sikkim's capital Gangtok to West Bengal's Siliguri at the foothills. The closure of the highway is also expected to affect traffic to Kalimpong.

The Kalimpong Police have asked small vehicles heading to Gangtok from Siliguri to take alternative routes, via Damdim-Gorubathan-Lava-Alagarah and Bagrakote-Lava-Alagarah.

However, the movement of heavy vehicles between Siliguri and Gangtok has been stopped.