Gangtok, July 18 -- A landslide that struck 7th Mile at Kyongnosla village eleven days ago is still active, and its toll is mounting - an entire stretch of the strategically vital Jawaharlal Nehru (JN) Road has been wiped out, and 32 families have been forced to leave their homes for temporary shelters.

The JN Road is no ordinary rural connection. It serves as a lifeline to the Indo-China border, linking several Indian Army establishments in the high-altitude frontier zone. With the slope refusing to settle, the old road alignment has been erased completely, and traffic has been pushed onto a single alternative route. Locals warn that this backup road itself sits on fragile monsoon-soaked terrain - one more slide, and the border corridor...