Siliguri to gangtok road condition today

Traffic in Sikkim Managing urbanisation At present, the Sikkim government is giving importance to tackling the problems cropping up due to fast urbanisation of Gangtok and its surrounding areas. New social challenges arising due to construction activities, rising vehicle population on Gangtok roads and the need for a modern town planning are being attended to on an urgent basis by the government. A new "smart city agenda" for the mountainous regions is being planned as the conditions are starkly different from cities in the plains. The adverse effects of unregulated construction activities in Gangtok are being addressed to by local officials. Also, haphazard parking by vehicles near buildings further constrict the road space for traffic creating chaos for motorists. Building more floors on top of existing buildings add to human risks as the foundations are typically weak which makesthem vulnerable to natural calamities. New habitats have to be planned like an envelope as a growing proportion of young people aspire to own a home. Suitable settlements along with adequate space for traffic will have to be created with the necessary infrastructure and connectivity. Similarly, the harmful effects of commercial activity on the urban environment (air, water and land pollution) will have to be minimised. Given the shortage of appropriate land, sewage and garbage disposal pose serious problems for Gangtok and other mountainous cities. Special efforts are being made for the recyclin...

Torrential rains pounded the tiny Himalayan state of Sikkim and the tea growing region of North Bengal, causing landslides that cut off National Highway-10, the main road linking Gangtok with the rest of the country. Normal life came to a near standstill as showers triggered landslides causing damages to roads and bridges, halting or constricting traffic in various places in North Bengal's hill districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, while low-lying areas in the plains of Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts were flooded, officials said on Wednesday. Hundreds of tourists, who have thronged the hills during the Durga Puja season, are facing difficulties in travelling to their next destination or reaching railway stations or the Bagdogra airport to return home, owing to the incessant rain and landslides. The Met department has issued a 'red' warning for Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Alipurduar, forecasting extremely heavy rain at one or two places in these districts till Thursday morning. Road connectivity in several places of Kalimpong district, linking Kalimpong town and hamlets like Pedong and Lava - two popular tourist destinations- and Algara were snapped owing to landslides. The incessant downpour on Wednesday saw landslides blocking the crucial National Highway-10, connecting Siliguri with Gangtok, at the 29th Mile area in West Bengal, around 60 km from the Himalayan state's Rangpo border. Another landslide occurred at Pani House at Gangtok this morning, disrupting vehicula...