Union minister of state for road transport and highways, Ajay Tamta, on Saturday conducted an inspection of the ongoing construction of the much-awaited Balason to Sevoke elevated highway corridor.
Ajay Tamta
Union minister of state for road transport and highways, Ajay Tamta, on Saturday conducted an inspection of the ongoing construction of the much-awaited Balason to Sevoke elevated highway corridor. He was accompanied by Darjeeling MP Raju Bista during the site visit.
Despite earlier setbacks due to land acquisition delays, 53 per cent of the work on the Rs 1,000-crore project has been completed, Mr Bista confirmed following the inspection.
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The elevated corridor—connecting Balason to the Sevoke Army Cantonment—has been a long-standing demand of residents, particularly those travelling through the congested Darjeeling More stretch. Once completed, the project is expected to decongest traffic, reduce travel time, and catalyse economic development in the Siliguri Metropolitan area, as well as the Darjeeling Hills, Terai, and Dooars regions.
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Later in the day, Mr Tamta inaugurated the new regional office of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) at Quantum Building in Matigara, Darjeeling. He also announced that the Kalimpong Project Monitoring Unit has become operational, and a dedicated NHIDCL office for Darjeeling will open shortly.
“These are crucial steps towards accelerating highway infrastructure in challenging terrains like north Bengal,” Mr Tamta said.
Review of Key Projects
The minister chaired a high-level review meeting with senior officials from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and NHIDCL to assess the progress of ongoing and proposed highway projects across Darjeeling, Terai, and Dooars.
Highlighting the impact of the Balason–Sevoke Corridor, MP Raju Bista said: “This highway will improve connectivity across critical junctions such as Balason Bridge, Khaprail More, Matigara, Darjeeling More, Siliguri, Mahananda River, 2nd Mile, and Salugara. It will ease travel to Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Sikkim, and other northeastern states via Siliguri.”
Calling the project an “engineering marvel in the making,” Mr Bista added that it would bolster trade and tourism, create job opportunities, and enhance integration of the region with the rest of the country. “It lays the foundation for sustainable growth and prosperity in North Bengal,” he said.
The major infrastructure projects are:
NH-717A to Kalimpong: ₹2,600 crore
Balason–Sevoke Elevated Corridor: ₹1,000 crore
Redevelopment of NH-10: ₹800 crore
Upgradation of NH-110 (formerly NH-55) to Darjeeling
NHIDCL has taken over maintenance of the critical 52.1 km Rangpo–Sevoke stretch since October 2024, and has also assumed charge of NH-110 to expedite repair and modernisation.
Work on major expressways:
Gorakhpur–Siliguri Expressway: Over ₹27,000 crore.
Siliguri–Kharagpur Economic Corridor (EC-14): ₹10,247 crore.
Projects awaiting final clearance:
Four-laning of Siliguri–Fulbari Road: ₹750 crore.
Siliguri Ring Road: ₹3,500 crore.
Ambari–Falakata four-laning: ₹761 crore.
Sevoke Army Cantonment to Sevoke Bazar Elevated Corridor: ₹1,400 crore.
Alternative to Coronation Bridge: ₹1,100 crore.
Several proposals in the pipeline:
An alternative highway to Darjeeling via Balason.
A new route from Darjeeling to Teesta via Lebong and Dabai Pani.
The Teesta Bazaar–Chalsa Highway.
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