Speaking in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, MP from Sikkim Indra Hang Subba urged the Centre to provide assistance for ‘typical’ issues facing the hills and frequent disturbances in the National Highway 10 caused by incessant rainfall and landslides. He emphasised on the urgent need for measures to ensure smooth connectivity and alleviate the challenges faced by commuters.
Hailing the Centre for developing Sikkim and its roads, which were once narrow, Subba drew attention to the NH10 stretch, which was the only two-lane highway in Sikkim. The MP urged for the intervention of a Central agency, stating: “Following the disturbances, we have requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ask a Central agency to intervene and look into the matter as there is no assistance from the West Bengal government which has failed to maintain the road.” Asserting that Sikkim was a peaceful and beautiful state with huge tourism prospects, the MP said that many tourists as well as Ministers frequently visited Sikkim. He pointed out that it was the entire Himalayan region, and not just Sikkim, that faced ‘typical’ monsoon issues for at least five to six months every year; leading to landslides and disturbances on roads. The Sikkim MP, in his speech, requested the government to make an exception in policies pertaining to roads and demanded allocation of funds separately to address the problems faced in the Himalayan region. He suggested that a committee should be established to look into the ‘typical’ problems that were created as a result of monsoons. Subba said a detailed report had been submitted to the Centre after the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood in Sikkim in 2023.
