Siliguri bridge closed after water bends pillar

Vehicular movement along the bridge over Balason river on the northwestern end of Siliguri stopped suddenly on Wednesday morning after one of its pillars bent with the force of the water of the swollen river.

The 50-year-old bridge is a vital stretch of National Highway 31, the principal highway that connects Siliguri, some other districts of north Bengal and the Northeast with rest of the country.

Though road connectivity has not completely snapped, vehicles moving towards Siliguri and beyond have to make detours through the under-construction stretch of NH 27 or along the stretch of Asian Highway II, work on which has been completed only recently.