Gangtok: Labour Minister of State Rameshwar Teli has expressed grief over the dismal condition of the National Highway from Siliguri in West Bengal to Rangpo in East Sikkim. The MoS, who was on a two-day visit to the state, took the national highway instead of flying to the state capital.
Upon reaching Rangpo at the gateway to the state on Tuesday, Teli stated, “I have never seen a National Highway in such condition anywhere in the country. I assure the people of Sikkim, that upon my return to New Delhi, I will correspond with Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari about the condition of NH 10.”
Teli also highlighted how the road seems of utmost necessity with Sikkim being a tourism state. He said, “Such road conditions would adversely affect the tourism business and I will inform the central government about the road connectivity.”
Teli was also informed about the road condition by Labour Minister Lok Nath Sharma, who was in attendance to receive the MoS at Rangpo. He informed, “The State Government has already informed the Central Government about the plight of the road from Siliguri to Rangpo. Every year, the residents of the state have to face this kind of problem when it rains. Many drivers say that it takes 7 hours to reach Siliguri from Gangtok or the way back as against the scheduled time of 4 hours’ drive due to traffic jams as well as landslides. Even after the Pakyong airport functioning, most air travellers still want to land in Bagdogra airport adding to the concern of the travellers and tourists. When there is disruption on National Highway 10, these commuters face many problems including their trains and flights due to delay in road travel from Sikkim.”
The state labour minister also highlighted the difficulties of medical emergencies for patients from Sikkim. “Many patients also get their treatment done in Siliguri itself, so the sick and the needy do not have to face the trouble of travelling across NH 10. Keeping all these problems in mind, it is necessary to maintain road condition in the NH 10”, stated Sharma.
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