Construction of NH34 - Dalkhola Bypass

Dalkhola located in the state of West Bengal, India. The town expanded around the Dalkhola village Panchayats and developed into an important centre for trade and commerce due to mainstream connection with both Railway and Roadway. It is an important center for commodities like jute, corn and oil trade in Uttar Dinajpur. It is also an important center for the trade of maize, which is produced in the neighboring state of Bihar. Highway 34 cuts through the middle of the town to meet NH 31. NH 34 starts from Dalkhola and its end in Dumdum, near kolkata to help northeastern part of India to connect kolkata. The largest railway station and busiest Rack point in the district is located in Dalkhola. This railway connects to several major cities, including Siliguri, Kolkata, Guwahati, Delhi, Chennai and Patna. Bus transportation runs from Dalkhola to Siliguri, Raiganj, Kishanganj, Kaliaganj, Balurghat, and Malda.

In Dalkhola, traffic congestion is an everyday affair, drainage is pathetic and roads are dotted with craters. Police had a tough time controlling and diverting traffic.While trucks were made to wait at Itahar and Purnia More, long-distance buses, small vehicles and even ambulances have to wait due to long Jam.
The deplorable condition of National Highway 34 – the main road connectivity between Kolkata (Dum Dum) and North Bengal (Dalkhola) has for a long time now remained a harrowing experience for helpless commuters. Frequent disruption of vehicular movement and alarmingly high rate of tragic accidents claiming scores of lives, have become the order of the day in Dalkhola and nearby region. However, so far none of the authorities responsible for have come to the rescue of the commuters of NH 34 in the area. The long stretch of the NH-34 and its worst ever condition with vehicle breakdown all along the road becoming a daily trend, thereby causing heavy traffic jam for hours at a stretch. The present road turns from its original shape into a muddy or dusty road, depending on whether it is sunny or rainy, and the commuters have no option but to travel through this long stretch of “jumpy bumpy” road full of potholes and boulders, at times risking their own life, while on other occasions, putting their lives and safety in the hands of the driver. The bad road condition also poses tremendous dangers to the pedestrians and villagers who live on either side of the highway. On many occasions, pedestrians have reportedly been injured with stone chips hitting them, as vehicles pass by.