‘We were hopeful when we voted…where will we go now?’: Fear grips Bengal hawkers amid eviction drives
Heavy rainfall across the state on Thursday night, which continued till Friday afternoon, disrupted life in several parts of north Bengal and inundated many areas in Kolkata and adjoining southern districts, causing traffic pangs across the region.Torrential rainfall in neighbouring Bhutan and Sikkim also caused rivers in north Bengal, including the Teesta and Balason, a major tributary of the Mahananda, to flow close to danger levels, officials said.Multiple landslides were reported from areas across the Darjeeling hills, cutting off connectivity between the north Bengal town of Siliguri and various parts of the hills through the NH 110 arterial road. Addressing a press conference on the rain situation in the state, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said the state government was working to restore normalcy which could take up to 4-5 days in some areas of north Bengal. CM orders probe into Balason bridge collapse Speaking at Nabanna on Friday evening, the CM ordered a probe into the collapse of the temporary Dudhia Bridge over Balason River in Darjeeling after the waterbody swelled due to incessant rains Friday. This disrupted vehicular movement between Siliguri and the Mirik subdivision, officials told PTI, adding that the hume pipe structure was constructed as an alternative arrangement following the collapse of the Dudhia iron bridge in October 2025. The collapse of the temporary bridge has triggered a political controversy over the quality of the material used in its construction just eight months ago. The Chief Minister indicated that it will be investigated whether there was any alleged irregularity, negligence or ‘cut money’ or financial corruption behind this incident. The Chief Minister has said that, alongside the investigation, restoring normal movement for the people was now the government’s main priority. Therefore, instructions have been issued to repair the damaged sections as quickly as possible and to introduce alternative travel arrangements.Story continues below this ad Due to the incessant rain, a child reportedly died at a tea garden in Hasimara, Alipurduar. The CM also expressed deep sorrow over the incident, stating that financial assistance has been handed over to the child’s family. ‘North Bengal Administration working round-the-clock’ Speaking at the presser, the CM said, “Heavy rainfall has been continuing in north Bengal, particularly in Kurseong and the hilly region, since last night. As you know, Siliguri and Darjeeling have recorded around 240.6 mm of rainfall, causing significant damage. Several bridges have been washed away, although the river situation remains under control. PWD is working but to bring normalcy, it will take 4-5 days.” The chief minister said there were some minimal landslides in some areas in north Bengal, such as the Mirik block on the Lebong Cart Road, but the debris was cleared and the roads reopened by late Friday afternoon. He said the administration had been active since dawn to take advance measures to deal with the issue, adding that the government was monitoring the situation in the Hills with utmost seriousness. He said the Darjeeling MP, District Magistrate, Irrigation Department and Disaster Management Department were working closely to restore normalcy, adding that so far there were no reports of tourists being stranded in the area.Story continues below this ad Traffic pangs The CM said that vehicular movement has been diverted through alternative routes via Pankhabari and Kurseong due to closure of some roads. Roads in central and north Kolkata, as well as in the Sector V area of Salt Lake, were submerged after the morning downpour, leading to slow-moving traffic and congestion during office hours. Busy thoroughfares like College Street, Amherst Street in the north and Camac Street in the central parts of the city remained waterlogged till long after the morning deluge had let up. Officials of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) said reports of waterlogging h
