Birbhum: Vehicles wade through a flooded Suri-Katwa road at Laghata in Birbhum district
Torrential rains pounded the tiny Himalayan state of Sikkim and the tea growing region of North Bengal, causing landslides which cut off National Highway-10, the main road linking Gangtok with the rest of the country.
Normal life in parts of the tea growing north Bengal was also affected on Wednesday as torrential showers in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri districts triggered landslides causing damages to roads and bridges, halting or constricting traffic in various places, officials said.
Hundreds of tourists, who have thronged the hills during the Durga Puja season, are facing difficulties in travelling to their next destination or reaching railway stations or the Bagdogra airport to return home, owing to the incessant rain and landslides, officials said.
The incessant downpour Wednesday saw landslides blocking the crucial National Highway-10, used both by civilian and military traffic, at the 29th Mile area in West Bengal, around 60 km from the Himalayan state's Rangpo border.
Another landslide occurred at Pani House here this morning, disrupting vehicular movement, officials said.
Attempts were on to remove the debris from the road to reopen it at least partially.
Supporting pillars of a steel bridge at Rangpo, the gateway to Sikkim, were also damaged as the powerful Teesta river which has been in spate over the past few days, swept embankments at many points.
Local police have started restricting the movement of vehicles on the bridge. As the rain continued to batter the state, a large number of people have been rescued to safe places and relief materials have been sent to the affected areas.
A landslide occurred at Mahanadi area in West Bengal's Darjeeling district, blocking another major arterial road connecting Kurseong with Sukna.
As the downpour continued, 3,800 cusec waster was released from Bengal's Gajaoldoba Teesta Barrage, causing inundation in several parts of the low lying town of Jalpaiguri.
Water from the overflowing Teesta also submerged National Highway 10 that connects Siliguri with Sikkim’s capital Gangtok at Teesta Bazar area, restricting traffic, officials said.
The Meteorological department issued a 'red' alert for Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Alipurduar, forecasting "extremely heavy rain at one or two places" in these districts till Thursday morning.
Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rain during the period, it said.
Road connectivity in several places of Kalimpong district, linking Kalimpong town with several hamlets such as Pedong, Lava and Algara, was snapped owing to landslides, officials said.
A bridge on the Balason river at Matigara on the outskirts of Siliguri in Darjeeling district also got damaged.
Siliguri Police Commissioner Gaurav Sharma said vehicles have been diverted to another route owing to the damage to the bridge, while motorcyclists and pedestrians have been allowed to use it.
"We are urging people to make plans for long travel to reach their destinations owing to the diversion," he told reporters.
Several low-lying areas in Jalpaiguri district have been flooded owing to a rise in the water level of Teesta and Jaldhaka rivers. People from these areas were being moved to safe places for shelter.
Darjeeling received 233.8 mm rainfall, the highest in the state in the 24 hours till 8.30 am on Wednesday, followed by Kalimpong (199 mm), Jalpaiguri (151 mm) and Cooch Behar (60.9 mm).
Water levels in Torsa and some other rivers in the region have also started rising owing to the torrential rain.
The Met department said the inclement weather condition will prevail in the sub-Himalayan districts till Thursday morning.
Weather in West Bengal's southern districts, which received heavy rain since October 17 owing to a low-pressure system, improved considerably on Wednesday, though the Met department said thunderstorms with lightning at one or two places are likely during the day.
Dry weather will prevail in the southern parts of the state from Thursday, it added.
