Jalpaiguri, June 29 -- Torrential rainfall has caused a section of the approach road near the Luksan-Kuchi Diana Bridge on National Highway 17 (NH-17), a key road link between the Dooars and Assam, to cave in, raising fears of a major disruption to traffic and public safety.
Heavy rain over the past few days across the Dooars and the adjoining hills of Bhutan has led to a sharp rise in the Diana River. The swollen river's strong current and severe erosion washed away part of the approach road at one end of the bridge, making vehicular movement on the highway extremely risky.
Police have barricaded the damaged stretch and advised motorists to drive cautiously while passing through the area.
Local residents alleged that during the construction of a river embankment some time ago, heavy machinery was used to extract large quantities of soil, sand and stones from beneath and around the bridge, weakening its foundation. With floodwaters continuing to erode the riverbank, they fear the bridge itself could be at risk.
"If a technical inspection, immediate repair work and permanent protective measures are not undertaken, the bridge could suffer extensive damage, severely affecting road connectivity between the Dooars and Assam," said local resident Rahul Goswami.
Nagrakata Block Development Officer (BDO) Jay Prakash Mondal said the administration has taken note of the situation.
"The police have already barricaded the affected stretch. The situation is being closely monitored, and necessary measures will be taken at the earliest," he said
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.