Almost the entire North Bengal is devastated due to the recent rain and landslides. So far, the calamity has claimed 17 lives. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has instructed all tourists in Darjeeling and other hilly areas to remain in their hotels. It has also been announced that the state administration will make arrangements to bring tourists back from the hills. The North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) is set to launch special bus services on Sunday.
State Transport Minister Snehasis Chakraborty has informed that special bus services have been initiated for tourists from Darjeeling. Three buses have already been fully booked. They are being returned to their specified destinations. It has been announced that special bus services will also be available at night.
According to NBSTC sources, a total of three special buses will run on the Siliguri to Kolkata route on Sunday. Among these, one bus will depart from Tenzing Norgay Bus Terminus at around 5:30 PM. Tickets for this bus can be booked online. The next two buses will depart at 6 PM and 7 PM. Tickets can also be booked from the counter. If tourists arrive in Siliguri later in the night, the number of special buses will be increased for them as well.
Notably, a portion of the iron bridge over the Balason River at Dudhia collapsed on Saturday night. As a result, the connection between Siliguri and Mirik has been severed. On the other hand, a landslide also occurred on National Highway 10 on Saturday night. By Sunday afternoon, several sections had been repaired. Currently, tourists are being moved to safe locations via the Pankhabari Road. The state police and Siliguri Municipality have launched helpline numbers for tourists stranded in Darjeeling. The helpline numbers are — 7557035194 (Siliguri Municipality), 9147881907 (State Police).
