GANGTOK, July 16: Over 500 vehicles remained stranded on National Highway-31A at Bardang near Singtam for nearly six hours today following a landslide in the area. There was, however, no report of any casualty. As the debris from landslide blocked the highway, the vehicles had no other way but to use the Singtam-West Pandam route to reach Rangpo. “The landslide occurred around 6 a.m. today when people were fast asleep. We contacted the GREF officials soon after the incident,” said Mr Sangay Agarwal, a local trader. Mr Nima Sherpa, a driver whose vehicle got stuck on the highway following the landslide, said: “Bardang is a landslide-prone area. We face this problem in every monsoon.” Supply of newspapers to Gangtok was badly affected following the landslide as most of the newspaper-laden vehicles remained stranded on the highway. The GREF personnel who cleared the road around 4 p.m. blamed poor drainage facility in the area for today’s landslide. Mr AK Singh, the assistant engineer, Border Roads I, said: “Over 25 labourers employed by the GREF worked for the entire day today to clear the road. The landslide was triggered by heavy rainfall in the state. The Lack of proper drainage facility was also responsible for the incident.” Additional police personnel were deployed at Rangpo and Singtam to maintain traffic as hundreds of vehicles remained stranded on NH-31A in various places due to the landslide.
