Traffic on NH-10 suspended amid landslides and Teesta bank erosion

Vehicular movement along national highway 10 — the lifeline connecting Siliguri to Sikkim via Kalimpong — has come to a complete halt due to multiple landslides and severe erosion of the Teesta river’s right bank, prompting authorities to shut down traffic for at least three days.

According to a notification issued by Rahul Kumar Gupta, general manager of NHIDCL’s Siliguri Project Monitoring Unit and Highway Administrator for NH-10 (Sevoke to Rangpo), all classes of vehicles have been barred from using the highway from 8 p.m. on August 3 to 6 p.m. on 6 August, citing safety concerns. The affected stretch includes critical points such as Coronation Bridge (Km 0.0) and Chitrey (Km 30.0).

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The order, issued under Section 33 of the Control of National Highways (Land and Traffic) Act, 2002, urges the general public to cooperate and follow alternate traffic arrangements managed by the district administration.

The disruption isn’t limited to NH-10. Multiple alternative routes have also been affected due to the ongoing monsoon havoc. Roads from Lava to Sikkim via Rishi Road and Lava to Loleygaon remain closed following landslides and road collapse. However, some connectivity routes like Lava to Kalimpong, Lava to Gorubathan, Lava to Sikkim via Munsong, and Lava to Renock via Lingsey are currently operational as of 4 August.

Sources said the current crisis is rooted in the aftermath of last year’s flash floods in Sikkim, which caused massive silt deposition on the Teesta’s riverbed. As a result, the river has started altering its course, severely eroding its right bank and threatening the stability of NH-10 along vulnerable stretches.

Restoration work is underway, but officials warn that frequent natural calamities and fragile terrain continue to pose significant challenges to maintaining seamless connectivity to Sikkim.