Sikkim & Bengal to be linked via flyover by BRO

GANGTOK: The Border Roads Organization (BRO) is considering the construction of a 1-km flyover from Rangpo Mining to the Rangpo border at Mansoong, that connects West Bengal, at a cost of Rs100 crore.

Major landslides are a common occurrence on the 100-km National Highway 31 A that links Siliguri with Gangtok. Restoration of traffic takes two to 10 days.

The BRO technician has earmarked 75 spots, 28 of which lie on on Sikkim`s 40 km stretch. The remaining 47 spots lie on the West Bengal`s 60-km stretch from Sevoke Coronation Bridge to Ranipool, near Gangtok. A superintendent of BRO 764 Task force commandant based at Kalimpong, Manav Prasad, has informed.
The BRO is also constructing another flyover and one-km tunnel from Kumrek to Mining ground at a cost of Rs 30 crore. Another 200-mt tunnel will also replace the existing tunnel at Chisopani ahead of Singtam at a cost of Rs 8 crore.
Referring to the incomplete repairing and double-lane road extending work, Prasad has laid the onus on Darjeeling bandhs called in January and February. Moreover, they are yet to receive clearance from the departments concerned in Sevoke to Teesta, where some stretches passed through the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary and Baikuntapur forest.

Prasad adds, "We hope to complete the restoration works of main thoroughfare of only connecting roads with mainline via Siliguri by May. Over 500 labourers have been equipped with seven large excavators and other machines for road widening and landslide spots mitigation."

BJP asks chief secy to lodge FIR against officials

Gangtok, 27 Oct: Claiming Rs 4.95 crore were siphoned off from government funds, the Sikkim BJP today asked state chief secretary Mr TT Dorji to order filing of a criminal case against guilty officials and contractors.
“Officials and contractors had colluded to siphon off the money in the name of construction of a multi-span steel bridge over Teesta river at Gour in north Sikkim but the construction did not happen,” party vice-president Mr Padam Chettri told newsmen, adding it was loot of public money.
Quoting the reply of the Roads and Bridges Department to an RTI query, he claimed authorities have themselves conceded that 90 per cent of the proposed cost of the bridge was released to the contractors before the commencement of the construction work three years ago.
But, barring two concrete pillars on either end of the Teesta river, the bridge never came up and the entire money went into the pockets of corrupt officials and contractors, he alleged.
“But for RTI, the blatant case of swindling of public money would have been left hidden in the files,” he said.
Mr Chhetri claimed he has documentary evidence of another case of corruption in the construction of a proposed Rs 13-crore bridge at Singtam to connect south and east Sikkim in which one-third of the projected cost has already been released to the contractor without commencement of any work on the ground.