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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Darjeeling Raju Bista on Friday wrote a letter to Union Minister for Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and requested his intervention for the improvement of highway and road infrastructure in Darjeeling Hills, Terai and Dooars region of West Bengal.
The MP, in his letter, sought to draw Gadkari's "attention to the urgency of the situation caused due to heavy rains and landslides in the region" and said that it is affecting some of the critical infrastructure projects of national importance. Bista informed that the NH-10, connecting Sikkim with the rest of India, has completely broken down at 12 different places and is in need of immediate restoration. "NH10 also serves as the lifeline for our troops who are posted along the China border regions in Sikkim, Kalimpong, and Darjeeling regions," he added. Bista further wrote, "The pillars supporting the existing Coronation bridge are on the verge of collapsing and risk of being washed away by the rising water levels of Teesta river." He also drew Gadkari's attention to the Balason Bridge over Mahananda river and said that it has been damaged after one of its pillars bent with the force of the swollen river water rising. "The Balason Bridge, which falls in the stretch between Khaprail More and Darjeeling More, lies on the proposed Balason-Sevoke elevated highway project route, and connects Siliguri city with the rest of the India and vehicular movement over the bridge has been stopped," he said. Bista, hence, requested the Union Minister to take cognizance of the damages in the critical infrastructure of the region and to "take steps towards laying the Foundation stone for alternatives to these projects at the earliest". (ANI)
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