NH-10 hit by road collapse, landslides; rail project also affected
The Statesman | 10 August 2025
A portion of national highway-10 — the crucial lifeline linking Siliguri with Sikkim — caved in early Saturday at the Ganesh Jhora area near 29th Mile, following continuous erosion of the Teesta river’s right bank.
The affected stretch, already marked as vulnerable, has become extremely risky for movement. Commuters and drivers were forced to navigate a narrow strip of road clinging to the hillside, taking their own risks. Officials fear further damage if heavy rainfall continues and the river’s water level fluctuates, raising doubts over how long the remaining section of the road will survive.
The situation has left residents and travellers between Kalimpong and Sikkim anxious, with the rainy season expected to last until September. NHIDCL officials are working on restoration, but several sections along the Teesta’s right bank remain unstable, particularly where jhoras — seasonal mountain streams formed by monsoon runoff — meet the river, intensifying erosion.
Earlier this year, NHIDCL had to suspend traffic on NH-10 for six days to repair stretches damaged by landslides and riverbank erosion.
The ongoing Sevoke–Rangpo railway project has also been affected. On 5 August, heavy rain triggered a slope failure near Tunnel No. 7 in Sikkim. According to IRCON, no casualties, injuries, or damage to machinery occurred. The landslide, about 30 metres from the tunnel, posed no structural threat. Precautionary evacuation of men and equipment had been taken in advance, and debris clearance along with site protection work has since begun.