Landslides hamper tourist traffic around East and North Sikkim

GANGTOK, 18 June: Road connectivity to major tourist destinations in East and North Districts have begun suffering monsoon uncertainties, and the reliability of some roads have become so suspect that the Tourism Department has stopped issuing permits to tourist destinations like Tsomgo and beyond.
The most visited tourist destinations like Tsomgo, Baba Mandir and Nathula have been closed for tourists for the past five days due to slides along JN Road while North Sikkim roads have been open in fits and starts for the past three days.
While permits to Tsomgo have been stopped, tourists willing to take the longer alternate route via Rongli and Jelepla to Tsomgo are being considered, it is informed.
Meanwhile, the Chief Engineer, Border Roads Organisation [BRO] Brigadier Rajeev Sawhney informs that the road to North Sikkim which was disrupted due to a slide at Theng-Toong was restored last night along with the opening of the blockage at Rangang on North Sikkim Highway. Light motor vehicles have started plying along this route and the road to Lachen has also opened for light vehicles but will open for heavy vehicles only by 20 June.
He mentioned that due to the incessant rainfall state-wide various landslides have started hindering the normal flow of traffic and in addition the rainfall is also causing obstruction in dispatching machinery for the clearing of blocked roads.
As for the status of JN Road to Tsomgo and Nathula, the BRO Chief Engineer informed that the slide was cleared last night and that the BRO has also erected a Bailey bridge beyond 4th Mile and traffic has been opened for light motor vehicles for now. Meanwhile police sources add that a slide at 17th Mile near the army camp area is yet to be cleared.