Siliguri, October 06 (Siliguri Chronicle) – Landslides and flash floods in Bengal’s sub-Himalayan region left hundreds of tourists stranded across the hills and parts of the Dooars on Sunday. Some highways were reopened later in the day, bringing limited relief.
Key routes such as Subash Ghisingh Marg, which connects Siliguri to Kurseong, and NH10, the main highway to Sikkim and Kalimpong, were blocked by landslide debris and road collapses.
Traffic on NH110 — the road linking Darjeeling and Siliguri — resumed partially on Sunday afternoon after debris was cleared. By evening, a few vehicles also began moving along the freshly reopened NH10.
In the Dooars, rescue teams evacuated some stranded tourists on elephant back.
Many hill tourists who were unable to travel down to the plains earlier in the day missed their flights, trains, and buses. As panic spread and others tried to leave the hills early, chief minister Mamata Banerjee took to her official X handle to reassure the public.
“We are advising tourists in north Bengal to stay where they are until our police teams can evacuate them safely. The cost of rescue will be borne by us — tourists need not worry,” she wrote.
The North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) has added five extra buses from Siliguri to Calcutta starting Sunday, NBSTC chairman Partha Pratim Roy said.
Tourist arrivals in North Bengal and Sikkim had been steadily rising since the third week of September.
“Two years ago, the devastating GLOF (glacial lake outburst flood) in Sikkim and Kalimpong severely affected tourism. Unfortunately, we are again facing a natural disaster that has disrupted the industry,” Samrat Sanyal, general secretary of the Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network (HHTDN), a key tourism industry body in the region, said.
“The tourist season was expected to continue until the first week of November, but we fear many tourists will now cancel their plans.”
The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration has temporarily shut popular tourist spots near Darjeeling, including Tiger Hill and Rock Garden.
“We urge tourists to remain in their hotels or accommodations,” Darjeeling superintendent of police Praween Prakash said.
“Those planning to visit the hills should reconsider. Stranded visitors will be able to reach Siliguri in time as (the debris from) landslides at two locations along the NH110 have been cleared.”
Prakash added: “Tourists in and around Mirik are advised to travel to Siliguri via Ghoom and Kurseong, as the bridge at Dudhia has been damaged by the Balason river.”
Twenty-four tourists were stranded at the Madarihat Tourist Lodge in Dooars, near Jaldapara National Park, after a wooden bridge over the Holong stream was washed away.
In the afternoon, the forest department deployed three paid elephants to rescue nine of the stranded tourists who wished to leave immediately.
All car and elephant safaris at the flooded national park have been suspended indefinitely.
In Alipurduar-I block, the River Sishamara breached its embankments, inundating around 15 private resorts and affecting 130 tourists.
“Tourists at some of these resorts are stranded, but all are safe. Once the situation stabilises, they will be able to leave,” a local tour
operator said.
Helplines
Several helplines have been opened for the stranded tourists.
These are:
- 0353-2513986 (tourism department office at Mainak, Siliguri)
- 9144433310 (HHTDN)
- 1800-212-1655(tourism department office at BBD Bagh, Calcutta)
- 0353-2662010, 0353-2662210, 7872707733, 7001310127 and 9147889607 (Siliguri Metropolitan Police control room)
- 9147889078 (Darjeeling district police)
- 7557035194 (Siliguri Municipal Corporation).
