Gangtok, October 8: NH-10 Rangpo-Ranipool upgrade work worth Rs 993.64 crore has been approved by the Centre, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced on Wednesday. The project will develop the stretch into a two-lane highway with paved shoulders. The sanction comes barely two months after a massive landslide on the same stretch cut Sikkim’s principal road link for more than a month.
In a post on X, Gadkari said the project includes the construction of tunnels and viaducts and the treatment of vulnerable sliding and sinking zones. “The project will provide safer, faster and more resilient connectivity to Gangtok and across Sikkim,” he wrote, adding that it would feature bridges, cut-and-cover sections and comprehensive slope-protection measures suited to the challenging Himalayan terrain.
The minister said the upgraded corridor would boost tourism, agriculture, horticulture and the movement of essential goods. He said it would also strengthen strategic connectivity for the movement of defence personnel and supplies and contribute to Sikkim’s overall socio-economic development.
What the NH-10 Rangpo-Ranipool upgrade covers
The approval follows a tender floated by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), which maintains the highway. The tender covers widening and development of the existing carriageway from Km 53.50 at Rangpo to Km 79.371 at Ranipool, a length of roughly 26 km, on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode. Bids are due on November 16, 2026.
The number, length and location of the proposed tunnels and viaducts have not been spelt out in the minister’s announcement. No construction timeline or executing contractor has been named so far.
A stretch that failed this monsoon
The announcement comes at the end of one of the most difficult monsoons for this section of the highway. On the night of July 7, a landslide struck 20th Mile at Bardang, between Rangpo and Singtam. While debris was being cleared, a second and far larger slide of nearly 250 metres developed at the same spot.
The stretch remained shut for over a month, with NHIDCL diverting all vehicles to NH-717A via Rangpo, Rorathang and Pakyong. Heavy vehicles were hit hardest, as the alternative road is narrow. The highway partially reopened on August 10, with traffic allowed in intervals as restoration continued.
The site has remained fragile since. On the night of September 16, a car travelling from Singtam towards Rangpo got stuck on the soft, cracked surface at 20th Mile amid continuous rain and had to be pulled out by an NHIDCL excavator.
Sustained push for a permanent solution
The sanction follows months of pressure from the state. On July 27, Lok Sabha MP Indra Hang Subba met Gadkari at Parliament House and submitted a memorandum seeking a comprehensive geotechnical investigation and a tunnel-based solution, stating that repeated slope stabilisation had failed to prevent landslides.
Roads and Bridges Minister N.B. Dahal, who visited 20th Mile when it reopened in August, said a Detailed Project Report for a tunnel had been prepared and an expert team engaged to find a long-term engineering solution.
The High Court of Sikkim has also been monitoring the condition of NH-10. In September, it sought a specific statement on when the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways would decide on the Detailed Project Report for the Rangpo-Ranipool widening.
The other half of the lifeline
The new sanction covers only the Sikkim portion of the highway. The 52.1 km Sevoke-Rangpo stretch in West Bengal, which was handed over to NHIDCL in late 2024, is covered by separate works and continues to face restrictions.
Night-time movement of all vehicles on that stretch is currently barred from 9 PM to 6 AM in two phases, from October 7 to 15 and from October 26 to November 5, for excavation, slope protection and landslide mitigation works.
Gadkari had told the Rajya Sabha in July 2024 that 52 km of NH-10 between Sevoke and Rangpo is subject to disruption from landslides and valley-side subsidence during the monsoon, especially after the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood of October 4, 2023. The latest approval comes days after the third anniversary of that disaster.
Reactions
Indra Hang Subba welcomed the announcement and thanked Gadkari for the approval. He also thanked Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) and Minister Nar Bahadur Dahal for taking the matter forward. Darjeeling MP Raju Bista also welcomed the decision, saying it would make travel to Gangtok and across Sikkim faster and more reliable.
What happens next
With bids due in mid-November, the award of work and the start of construction will be the next milestones for the NH-10 Rangpo-Ranipool upgrade. Until then, commuters, transporters and the tourism trade will continue to depend on routine maintenance of the existing road during the peak tourist season.