Sikkim became a part of India in 1975. Despite being a state of India for almost 5 decades, the people of Sikkim are still lacking the basis amenities such as proper roads and highways. The National Highway 10 (NH-10) starting from Sevoke in West Bengal to Gangtok in Sikkim is the major highway or can be said the lifeline which connects the people of the state with the rest of India, but it faces issues such as frequent landslides, floods, formation damages and maintenance challenges due to the rugged landscape and heavy rainfall especially during the monsoon season. The issue of proper National Highways for the people of Sikkim has been a longstanding concern. 

Landslides along this highway have been causing disruptions in traffic and infrastructure damage. Also, the River Teesta in Sikkim and West Bengal have been flowing above its danger level, it signifies a potential threat of flooding to nearby areas. The Teesta River is prone to rapid rises in water level during heavy rainfall or due to glacial melt in its upper reaches. One such incident was faced by the people on 4th October, 2023 wherein a huge loss of life and stocks were recorded. 

The maintenance of National Highway 10 (NH-10) passing through the West Bengal side is overseen by the State Governments through their Public Works Departments (PWD).Top of FormBottom of Form The Government periodically undertakes maintenance projects to improve the conditions of the Highway. Despite these efforts, it's acknowledged that more needs to be done to provide the people of Sikkim and North Bengal with robust and reliable National Highway infrastructure that meets the needs of its people and supports the state's economic and social development.

The usual time from the border of Sikkim at Rangpo to Siliguri is 2 hours 30 mins. The same gets double when the straight highway is disrupted and people are forced to take alternative routes. Recently, in the last few years the conditions have become deplorable, the level of River Teesta have risen, the lives of the people have been lost and the financial and economic losses are unmatchable.

In the view of the above situation, we would like to file a petition that the NH 10 be immediately taken over by the National Authority for immediate restoration and maybe find other better alternatives to create a better NH for all the people staying and connecting with this highway.

Jai Hind, Jai Bharat.