Siliguri, Jun 19: Heavy rain caused damage to a temporary bridge over the swollen Balason river in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district on Friday, disrupting vehicular movement between Siliguri and the Mirik subdivision, officials said.
The hume pipe structure was constructed as an alternative arrangement following the collapse of the Dudhia iron bridge in October 2025.
“A portion of the temporary hume pipe bridge at Dudhia collapsed after a sudden rise in water level of the river due to incessant rain,” an official said.
Vehicular movement has been diverted through alternative routes via Pankhabari and Kurseong, he said.
Darjeeling MP Raju Bista visited the site and reviewed the ground situation.
He blamed the previous Mamata Banerjee government for the recurring connectivity crisis in the region.
“The TMC government had not been able to construct a permanent structure after the iron bridge collapse. The temporary bridge was poorly constructed and was bound to face such problems during heavy rain,” the BJP MP told reporters.
If a Bailey bridge had been built with the assistance of the Border Roads Organisation or the Army, it would have been a stable interim solution, he said.
Bista said the Public Works Department was constructing the approach road and related infrastructure for a permanent bridge project.
He maintained that a bridge without a dam may not be a sustainable solution to this problem.
“A detailed project report for a dam has already been prepared and sent to Jadavpur University for technical review. Once the monsoon season is over, work on the dam will begin. That is the only long-term solution to this problem,” he said.
Responding to the criticism, state PWD Minister Dr Ajay Kumar Poddar said a portion of the temporary hume pipe bridge was damaged due to heavy rainfall in the Darjeeling hills on Thursday night.
“Teams of the Public Works Department are at the site, and restoration work will begin immediately once the water level recedes. The department is closely monitoring the situation and taking all necessary measures to restore connectivity at the earliest,” he said.
Poddar said construction of the new permanent Dudhia bridge, being built at a cost of around Rs 52 crore, was progressing rapidly and was targeted for completion by February 2027.
The state government had sanctioned the construction of a permanent two-lane bridge over the Balason river, another official said.
Meanwhile, the Central Water Commission, in its official flood forecast on X, said, “The old Dudhia bridge was washed away during a flash flood in October last year. Due to high river flow and ongoing erosion, the newly under-construction bridge (on the way to Mirik route) at the same site is also under threat.”
Locals said the collapse of the temporary bridge would affect daily commuting and transportation of essential goods in the area until emergency restoration measures are undertaken.
