19 August 2011 statesman news service
KURSEONG, 19 AUG: The Rohini Road (see sns photo), which is at present the most important transportation link for the Darjeeling Hills, is in a deplorable condition for the past one year. Yet, there is no indication from anywhere that it would be repaired soon. The common people, who perforce use the road in the absence of options, said that the road had turned into a hellhole.
A driver, Mr Bhusan Chettri, said that plying vehicles on the road had become extremely costly. “We have been changing motor parts almost every week as these are breaking down due to the horrible road condition. A major accident seems to be in the offing,” he said.
Another frustrated resident of Kurseong said the road should not be repaired at all. “In case the road remains in this state the tourists would be forced to go for mountain biking and if this happens it would boost Rohini's economy,” he grumbled.
The Rohini Road has proved to be the lifeline of the Hills as all the essentials commodities, including LPG, are being transported via Rohini following last year's landslides. Since 16 June, 2010, NH-55 has remained closed following landslides at 14 Mile near Ghayabari. The route is over burdened since hundreds of heavy and small vehicles have been everyday.
Asked to comment, the Kurseong SDO, Mr Suden Tshering Bhutia, said sarcastically that the road was fit for horse riding. “I have no idea when the road would be repaired,” he said. “The NH-55 has already submitted a project involving Rs 1.2 crore for its repair, but the required sums have not yet been sanctioned,” he said.
Source: http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=380343&catid=72
KURSEONG, 19 AUG: The Rohini Road (see sns photo), which is at present the most important transportation link for the Darjeeling Hills, is in a deplorable condition for the past one year. Yet, there is no indication from anywhere that it would be repaired soon. The common people, who perforce use the road in the absence of options, said that the road had turned into a hellhole.
A driver, Mr Bhusan Chettri, said that plying vehicles on the road had become extremely costly. “We have been changing motor parts almost every week as these are breaking down due to the horrible road condition. A major accident seems to be in the offing,” he said.
Another frustrated resident of Kurseong said the road should not be repaired at all. “In case the road remains in this state the tourists would be forced to go for mountain biking and if this happens it would boost Rohini's economy,” he grumbled.
The Rohini Road has proved to be the lifeline of the Hills as all the essentials commodities, including LPG, are being transported via Rohini following last year's landslides. Since 16 June, 2010, NH-55 has remained closed following landslides at 14 Mile near Ghayabari. The route is over burdened since hundreds of heavy and small vehicles have been everyday.
Asked to comment, the Kurseong SDO, Mr Suden Tshering Bhutia, said sarcastically that the road was fit for horse riding. “I have no idea when the road would be repaired,” he said. “The NH-55 has already submitted a project involving Rs 1.2 crore for its repair, but the required sums have not yet been sanctioned,” he said.
Source: http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=380343&catid=72