Heavy rainfall triggers landslide, blocks traffic on NH 55

Gayabari (West Bengal), Aug 7 (ANI): The traffic along the National Highway 55 was disrupted on Friday following a heavy rainfall that triggered landslide in the Darjeeling Hills valley region.

The landslide blocked all road links from Siliguri in the foothills to various other places in Darjeeling District.

No human casualties, were, however, reported from Gayabari village, where the landslide caused extensive damage.

"The trends of landslide are very dangerous here. We have 15 households here and all of them have been shifted to the Jawahar Jyoti Primary School nearby due to fear of further landslides," said Dhan Bahadur Pradhan, a local resident of Gayabari.

Pradhan further complained that the concerned authorities have not come forward with any help other than providing very less quantity of food.

Meanwhile, the truck drivers, who operate along this highway, insisted that the reconstruction of the road should be entrusted to a reliable and professional contractor since driving on NH-55 has been a dangerous venture, particularly during the monsoon.

"The truck drivers who operate their trucks on the NH-55 (national highway 55) have complained and said that in case if it has to be repaired, the contract should be given to some well known company or the contractor who gets the work should have a decent reckonable record," said Jagan Pradhan, a villager.

NH-55, the lifeline of Darjeeling Hills region is one of the vulnerable zones where landslides occur frequently. (ANI)