BJP Sikkim urges CHIEF MINISTER FOR CRITICAL HIGHWAY REALIGNMENT
GANGTOK, 16th July: In a major development concerning the infrastructure future of Pakyong District, a BJP delegation representing local residents formally reached out to the state leadership today to address escalating grievances regarding the proposed Pakyong-to-Barapathing highway.
Sangay Gyatso Bhutia, Spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janta Party, officially met Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, SD Dhakal ,at his Tashiling Secretariat office. A formal representation addressed to the Chief Minister,was submitted ,alongside two memorandums previously sent to the Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways. The delegation requested the Principal Secretary to urgently convey the community’s deep concerns to the Chief Minister, expressing high hopes for a swift, positive, and people-centric decision.
The core grievance centers on the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited’s (NHIDCL) current plan, which significantly deviates from the existing PWD road corridor. The proposed alignment reroutes the highway through uninhabited areas, dense forests, and geologically unstable terrain. The public representation earnestly requests the Chief Minister’s immediate intervention to direct NHIDCL to realign the highway along the existing, stable PWD road corridor based on four critical factors:
Public Safety & Geological Risks: The proposed route cuts through fragile, loose mountainsides, creating catastrophic landslide risks for villages situated below. The letter cited the nearby villages of Thek and Barapathing as cautionary examples, where separate NHIDCL projects have already severely destabilized slopes. Realigning along the existing PWD road is a significantly safer alternative, as the soil there is already consolidated,’added Sangay Gyatso Bhutia Spokesperson, BJP Sikkim .
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