The Central government has sanctioned ₹1,175 crore to build a six-lane bridge across the River Teesta in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district

Published on: Oct 1, 2026, 20:00:30 IST

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The Central government has sanctioned ₹1,175 crore to build a six-lane bridge across the River Teesta in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district, which is expected to strengthen connectivity between the Siliguri corridor in north Bengal, Sikkim and the Northeast.

“In West Bengal, we have approved ₹1,175.59 crore for the construction of a 6.91-km-long, 6-lane major bridge with approaches across the River Teesta at Sevoke on NH-10 (Old NH-31) in Darjeeling district,” Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari wrote on X.

Officials aware of the developments said that the Centre had earlier sanctioned ₹844 crore to construct a bridge and a tender was also floated. The tender, however, was cancelled.

The project includes constructing an alternative major bridge and its approaches on NH-10 (formerly NH-31), managed by the National Highways Authority of India. The new bridge aims to ease traffic pressure on the age-old Coronation Bridge, strengthening connectivity to Sikkim and Northeast India.

“The proposed bridge will significantly strengthen connectivity between Sikkim, the North-Eastern states and the Siliguri Corridor, facilitating smoother movement of passengers and freight. The project will support regional integration, trade and commerce, tourism and logistics, while contributing to sustained socio-economic development across the region,” he wrote.

The existing Coronation Bridge, popularly known as Bagh Pool, is situated around 2 km uphill from the location of the proposed alternative bridge at Sevoke. At present, only a railway bridge exists near the place where the construction of the alternative bridge is sanctioned.

When the alternative bridge is completed, the travelling distance between Sevoke in Darjeeling district and Ellenbari in Jalpaiguri district will be reduced by around 10 km.

Officials said that vehicles plying between Siliguri and Sikkim via National Highway 717A and between Siliguri and the Northeast via National Highway 10 currently use the Coronation Bridge. The stretch via Coronation Bridge is long, landslide-prone and accident-prone. There are heavy traffic snarls too.

“The construction of the alternative bridge will go a long way to improve connectivity in the region and thus will help in the socio-economic development of the region,” said Raju Bista, the Lok Sabha MP from Darjeeling.

The Coronation Bridge over the Teesta River, connecting Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts, was built in 1941 to mark the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

The demand for a new alternative bridge has been one of the key demands of people in the Dooars region in north Bengal, which houses hundreds of tea gardens and is popular for its national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, with a sizeable population of elephants and rhinos.

Officials said that a second bridge was proposed at Sevoke in the early 1990s, and the West Bengal PWD even carried out soil tests. But the proposal was shelved.

It was in December 2009 that the then CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP Saman Pathak raised the issue of an alternative bridge at Sevoke over the Teesta River.

“A meeting was also held at Bagdogra Airport between me, the then state urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya and the then union road transport and highways minister TR Balu. But nothing has happened since then,” Pathak told .

“The new bridge will also go a long way to provide social justice to the people of the North East, particularly those in the Dooars,” he said.

Officials said that an alternative bridge near the Chicken’s Neck could strengthen national security, as the Coronation Bridge is very old.

Chandan Ray, convenor of Dooars Forum of Social Reforms, said: “The new bridge will not only save time but also save several lives as the existing route in accident prone. It will also serve national security concerns.”

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