KURSEONG, 7 AUG: A major portion of the newly designed Rohini Road
(in sns photo)collapsed yesterday evening at Zero Point near Kurseong
town in the Darjeeling Hills.
The direct transportation link
between Darjeeling and Siliguri was blocked, following a landslide that
damaged around 60 feet of Rohini Road. Rainfall in the region had been
mild before the collapse.
As soon as the landslide occurred, a
team of Kurseong police headed by IC Bijay Tamang visited the site and
stopped traffic by barricading the road.
"I have requested all
to divert all the Darjeeling- or Siliguri-bound vehicles via Mangpoo
Road or via Mirik Road for their own safety," said Mr Tamang. "The
landslide site is not in a position even to accept the plying of
two-wheelers, because cracks have appeared on the road across the
site."
This morning, a team of GTA officials headed by executive
engineer K C Ghimirey visited the site, took stock of the situation, and
then launched reconstruction. "Around 60 feet of the road was affected
by the landslide," Mr Ghimirey said. "We have already started the
restoration works and it will take at least three weeks for the full
resumption of normal traffic on Rohini Road." The road had been under
construction for the past six months. Due to last month's landslides on
other arterial roads ~ such as Pankhabari Road and NH-55 ~ Rohini Road
was reopened prematurely on 15 July.
Chief minister Mamata
Banerjee had praised the condition of Rohini Road during her recent
Darjeeling visit ~ so much so that she arrived in Darjeeling via Rohini
Road and departed for Siliguri via the same road. Ironically, the road
collapsed just 24 hour after the chief minister praised it. sns
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