Sikkim cut off after heavy showers

Incessant rains and massive landslides in North Bengal have left the Himalayan state of Sikkim cut off for from the rest of the country for the past 48 hours.

Vehicular traffic has come to a halt on the National Highway in Sikkim as well as in. the hills of Darjeeling. Hundreds of tourists are also stranded in the state capital Gangtok and at Siliguri in North Bengal, bordering Sikkim.

According to government sources from Gangtok and Siliguri, Sikkim and parts of the Darjeeling hills were cut off from the rest of the country for the second day on Saturday as a no less than a 100 metre stretch of NH 10 has been completely washed off by massive landslides triggered by heavy rains at Sweti Jhora near Sevoke road under Kalimpong sub-division in Darjeeling district

The place where the landslide took place is as a crucial connectivity junction between Sikkim’s capital Gangtok and the Darjeeling hills with Siliguri which has the nearest railway station as well as the airport. The Border Road organisation that maintains this road, worked throughout the day on Saturday to mend the road, but incessant rains have caused delays, BRO sources added.

 The Gangtok –Nathula Road which saw the movement of pilgrims for the Kailash Mansarovar yatra is also affected by land slides. 

Heavy rains have brought a series of landslides in the region since Thursday.  While BRO has been able to open up one side of the NH 10, only small cars are being able to pass.