The National Highway 10 will be intermittently closed for repairs on April 18 and 19 between Sevoke in West Bengal and Rangpo in Sikkim, an official order said on Thursday (April 17). The NH-10 connects Siliguri in West Bengal to Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. It is a critical route for connecting Sikkim to the rest of the country.
The distance between Sevoke and Rangpo is around 53 km. The order issued by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) said the highway will be closed for all types of vehicles between Sevoke and Rangpo from 0300 hours to 0600 hours, 0700 to 0800, 0900-1000, 1100-1200, 1300-1400,1500-1600 and 1700 to 1800 hours on both the days.
During this period, the movement of heavy vehicles will be prohibited from 3:00 am to 6:00 pm on both days. The NHIDCL has advised travellers heading to or from Siliguri, Kalimpong, Darjeeling, and Sikkim to plan their trips carefully, as traffic snarls are expected due to these closures.
For those looking to avoid NH 10 disruptions, alternative routes have been suggested, including the NH717A through Bagrakote and the Military Highway via Gorubathan.