Jalpaiguri, July 6 -- The popular tourist destination of Bindu in Kalimpong has remained virtually cut off for nearly a month after a massive landslide near Gopal Pul blocked the only motorable road to the area, bringing tourism to a halt and severely affecting the local economy.
Despite repeated efforts to clear the debris, continuous monsoon rains have triggered fresh landslides, preventing restoration of vehicular movement. The General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF), responsible for maintaining the road, has said it may take another two to two-and-a-half months before normal traffic can resume.
According to local residents, the landslide first occurred at the end of May during hill-cutting work for the construction of a new bridge to replace the old iron bridge near Gopal Pul. Since then, the affected stretch has continued to widen due to heavy rainfall.
Bindu, located along the Indo-Bhutan border, attracts hundreds of tourists daily, particularly from the Dooars, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Siliguri, who visit the Jaldhaka Hydroelectric Project and the Jaldhaka Barrage. The prolonged road closure has forced nearly 150 tourist-dependent shops to shut down.
"There has never been such a landslide on the road to Bindu before. Since four-wheeled vehicles stopped plying, tourists have stopped coming and local businesses have been devastated," said local businessman Akhilesh Goswami. Another trader, Mira Gurung, said: "Nearly 150 shops have closed due to the absence of tourists. If the situation continues, our
hardship will only increase."
A senior GREF engineer, who visited the site on Thursday, said work on a new bridge and a 150-foot-wide, 30-foot-high retaining wall is underway to stabilise the hillside.
While authorities are considering allowing a limited number of light vehicles under strict monitoring, full restoration of the road is expected only after the monsoon-related landslide threat is brought under control.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.