Hills traffic hit after landslide on NH-55

Darjeeling: Incessant overnight rain triggered a major landslide on NH-55 in Kurseong subdivision at Paglajhora, disrupting traffic movement. A 75ft stretch of the road at Paglajhora was damaged by the landslide on Monday morning.
NH-55 connects the hills of Darjeeling and Kurseong with the plains of Siliguri.
However, the landslide did not affect the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) tracks. The toy train services, though, remained susp-ended due to the pandemic.
The vehicles on the highway were diverted through alternative Rohini and Pan-khabari routes. Officials said construction work was under way at Paglajhora, a landslide-prone zone. It had been reopened for traffic in 2018 after nearly 10 years.
In 2008, a massive landslide had destroyed the Paglajhora stretch of NH-55. The construction work had been completed in 2018 but more landslides had led to the closure of the arterial road.
The road stretch of Bijanbari to Rimbick was also closed since Sunday after a massive mud slip fall that blocked the road near Kankebung. Locals are using the alternative Sukhia route.