Not only is the highway the lifeline of Sikkim, it is also a strategically important road for the military for connectivity to the Indo-China border in North and East Sikkim. National Highway 10 (NH-10), the main road link to the state of Sikkim will get a major upgrade given the frequent closures this critical highway faces due to landslides.
The landslide took place in the stretch where the road upgradation has been announced. NH-10 faces frequent closures due to landslides and road sinkages. Union Minister of Roads, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced the highway upgradation project and said nearly Rs 1,000 crore has been allotted for it. “In Sikkim, we have approved Rs 993.64 crore for the development of NH-10 from Rangpo to Ranipool into a two-lane highway with paved shoulders, including the construction of tunnels, viaducts and treatment of vulnerable sliding and sinking zones. A very crucial stretch of NH-10 connecting land-locked Sikkim with West Bengal reopened in August this year after remaining closed for more than a month, but the movement of traffic continues to be regulated as restoration work is underway.
The project will provide safer, faster and more resilient connectivity to Gangtok and across Sikkim, with tunnels, viaducts, bridges, cut-and-cover sections and comprehensive slope-protection measures suited to the challenging Himalayan terrain,” Nitin Gadkari said. The upgraded corridor will boost tourism, agriculture, horticulture and the movement of essential goods, Gadkari said, adding, that the project will strengthen strategic connectivity for the movement of defence personnel and supplies while contributing to Sikkim’s overall socio-economic development.
Darjeeling MP Raju Bista and BJP’s Sikkim In-Charge welcomed the announcement. Lok Sabha MP from Sikkim, Indra Hang Subba, also welcomed the announcement and thanked Gadkari for approving the development project.
In a post on X, he said the project will make travel to Gangtok and across Sikkim faster and more reliable through difficult Himalayan terrain. He also thanked Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang-Golay and Minister Nar Bahadur Dahal “in taking forward this important matter for Sikkim.”
