BRO undertakes massive restoration work in rain-hit North Sikkim

The Border Roads Organization (BRO) has undertaken a massive restoration effort to re-establish connectivity to North Sikkim, which was severely affected by incessant rains since June 11.

Multiple roads leading to North Sikkim, including Dikchu-Sanklang-Toong, Mangan-Sanklang, Singtham-Rangrang, and Rangrang-Toong, were hit by numerous landslides and formation breaches due to the unprecedented heavy rains, resulting in the severing of connectivity to the region. The situation worsened after the collapse of a newly constructed suspension bridge at Sanklang, which was the primary link to North Sikkim and the Dzongu region.

Approximately 1,200-1,500 tourists were stranded in North Sikkim due to the blockage of roads at multiple locations.

In response, the BRO promptly deployed heavy machinery and hundreds of laborers to clear the landslides along various routes. They cleared multiple slides along the Sanklang-Toong road, making it traffic-worthy for light vehicles. Additionally, the road stretch between Naga and Lanthakhola (on the Mangan-Chungthang road) was cleared for traffic.

However, massive formation breaches at Lanthakhola and Rafangkhola, traditional slide points, posed significant challenges. While heavy equipment has been deployed to restore vehicular connectivity across these slide points, the BRO constructed log bridges to ensure foot connectivity across these areas.

Efforts are ongoing to rescue stranded tourists from North Sikkim at the earliest.