GANGTOK, Sept 27 – The Prime Minister’s Office has held a meeting with Sikkim government officials on September 26 to discuss measures for maintaining NH 31A, the state’s sole road link with the rest of the country.The Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Shri T. K. A. Nair has met Sikkim Chief Secretary N D Chingappa and officials of Defence Ministry,NHPC and the Border Roads Organisation at the PMO to work out measures for proper maintenance of the highway, official sources said here.The Sikkim government has also sought financial aid from the Centre to repair houses and other infrastructure that were damaged across the state recently by incessant rains and landslides, they said.
PMO has directed all concerned department to at earliest restore and improve existing national highway connecting to Sikkim besides immediate plans for alternative road connectivity to state.
Chief Minister Pawan Chamling had written to the Prime Minister last week, apprising him of the ‘poor’ maintenance of NH-31A by the BRO that had led to the state being cut off from the rest of the country for over a week after a spate of landslides since August 27 blocked the vital road.Chamling sought the PM’s intervention for the speedy repair of the highway as the snapping of the road link had resulted in a shortage of essential commodities, including petroleum products, and caused hardship to the people.He also urged the PM to depute a Central team to Sikkim to assess the damage caused to the highway. – PTI
