NH 10 reopens after 6-day closure

DARJEELING, : NH 10, the lifeline connecting Sikkim and Kalimpong to the plains, finally opened to traffic on Sunday after remaining closed for over six days.

The highway, which was initially scheduled to reopen around 6 pm as per an order issued by National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), was opened earlier than expected at around 12:30 pm.

Continuous landslides at various stretches of NH 10 had forced the NHIDCL to repeatedly extend the closure of the highway.

A major challenge was the landslide at the 29th Mile area more than five days ago, where a portion of the highway had collapsed into the Teesta River. In the following days, the area experienced further landslides, with additional sections of the road being eroded by the river and more debris and boulders falling from above, making the reopening process difficult.

To restore connectivity, hill-cutting work was undertaken to widen the road, while slope stabilization and debris clearance operations were simultaneously carried out. Another problematic stretch was Selfie Dara, where persistent debris flow continued to block the road. Even today, more debris was reported in the area, but NHIDCL teams managed to clear it to ensure smooth traffic movement.