[Junaid42465]

Hello TeamBHPians,

I'm planning to drive down from Guwahati to Sri Ganganagar somewhere around Apr/May.

Although I had done Gandhinagar, Guj to Guwahati in June 2010, I'm not aware of the current Road conditions.

My route plan is:

Day 1: Guwahati to Baghdogra

Day 2: Baghdogra to Gaya

Day 3: Gaya to Delhi (if possible)/ Agra

Day 4 - 7: Delhi

Day 8: Delhi to Ganganagar

I would request my fellow TeamBHPians to kindly update me on how are the road conditions from :

1) Alipur Duar to Siliguri and best route?

2) Which would be a better route from Purnia to Gaya after crossing the Barauni Bridge:
a) through Bihar Sharif

b) go to Patna bypass and then head south

3) Delhi to Ganganagar via Rohtak and Sirsa on NH 10 and thereafter go towards Hanumangarh.

Please advice if any changes needs to be made to my plan. All my journey will be during the day time. Except might be the Agra - Delhi patch on the Expressway. Since I'll be driving my Manza QJet, not much worried about Day 3. Had done Delhi to Varanasi in about 11 hrs on my Alto in 2010. The only worry is the Purnia - Gaya patch.

All your advices and opinions are most welcome.

[.anshuman]

While going towards Siliguri from Alipurduar, take the Nagrakata - Malbazaar- Siliguri route. Jalpaiguri route is in pathetic condition. I travelled to this area last month.

While going towards Rohtak from Faridabad, to avoid Delhi take the Faridabad- Gurgaon Road and exit through Jhajjar to join NH10 again.

Please find the route to bypass Delhi here: https://maps.google.co.in/maps?saddr...10,11&t=m&z=13 This will save you a few hours

[pyrodrive]

Sounds great. Travelling with friends or family?

Sorry cant help much on your queries, except maybe day 1.

It should be a dawn to dusk drive. Roads are ok except a stretch of about 15 kms around Hasimara. Totally broken road with big craters, but thankfully gets better after 15 km. Otherwise NH31 is ok, except lots of diversions due to road constructions. Slows down your average speed.

[Junaid42465]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

While going towards Siliguri from Alipurduar, take the Nagrakata - Malbazaar- Siliguri route. Jalpaiguri route is in pathetic condition. I travelled to this area last month.

While going towards Rohtak from Faridabad, to avoid Delhi take the Faridabad- Gurgaon Road and exit through Jhajjar to join NH10 again.

Please find the route to bypass Delhi here: https://maps.google.co.in/maps?saddr...10,11&t=m&z=13 This will save you a few hours

Thank you for your prompt reply. Will keep in mind the Siliguri route.

As for Delhi. I'll be staying in Delhi for 4 days. So I wouldn't be needing to take the bypass. But thanks anyway.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by Junaid42465

1) Alipur Duar to Siliguri and best route?

All your advices and opinions are most welcome.

Hi,
How well do you know the roads around Bongaigaon/ Kokrajhar? In any case, use NH37 for Guwahati - Jogigopa - NH31 (N. Salmara). If you don't know the local roads, would advise you not to stray off the main roads. In which case use Boxirhat. Though yours pinpointing AlipurDuar suggests you will be using Srirampur.

NH31 near Gauripur is not in too good a condition.
NH31C near Hasimara does not exist.
Jalpaiguri - Siliguri road has been patched up. Traveled on it last week. Still, the Mal - Sevok route is better, and scenically infinitely better. So AlipurDuar - Birpara for the Sevok route, AlipurDuar - Dhupguri for the Jalpaiguri route.

Using the Jalpaiguri route gives you the option of avoiding (for most part) Siliguri (Phulbari - Ghoshpukur). Though driving through Siliguri during working hours, though bad, is not the nightmare it once was.

Regards
Sutripta

Originally Posted by Junaid42465

1) Alipur Duar to Siliguri and best route?

I drove on this route [via Binnaguri>Malbazaar>Sevoke Coronation Bridge>Siliguri] while returning from Bhutan in April 2012. The road condition near Uttar Madarihat was terrible comprising craters and ditches across the road. After crossing Uttar Madarihat, the road was good.

[Junaid42465]

Mod Note : Please use the EDIT or MULTI-QUOTE buttons instead of typing one post after another on the SAME THREAD!.

To know how to multi-quote, click here.

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Hi,
How well do you know the roads around Bongaigaon/ Kokrajhar? In any case, use NH37 for Guwahati - Jogigopa - NH31 (N. Salmara). If you don't know the local roads, would advise you not to stray off the main roads. In which case use Boxirhat. Though yours pinpointing AlipurDuar suggests you will be using Srirampur.

NH31 near Gauripur is not in too good a condition.
NH31C near Hasimara does not exist.
Jalpaiguri - Siliguri road has been patched up. Traveled on it last week. Still, the Mal - Sevok route is better, and scenically infinitely better. So AlipurDuar - Birpara for the Sevok route, AlipurDuar - Dhupguri for the Jalpaiguri route.

Using the Jalpaiguri route gives you the option of avoiding (for most part) Siliguri (Phulbari - Ghoshpukur). Though driving through Siliguri during working hours, though bad, is not the nightmare it once was.

Regards
Sutripta

Thank you Sutripta,

I'm from Guwahati and I do know the route till Jogigopa. There after, I think I should be able to navigate.

If I'm not wrong, what you are suggesting is to go through Dhubri - Cooch Behar?

As I had travelled down Sevok - Binaguri - Alipur Duar on the 31C in 2010. If I can remember correctly it's the tea garden patch. Thereafter, once I entered Assam, the four-laning was in progress. Which I think, the work is still on, but at least one side must have been 90% completed, just like Guwahati - Nagoan. Hopefully

That's the only reason for me to go through Alipur Duar. Plus, you never know when there is a bandh declared in Goalpara. So I never took that in mind.

You earlier wrote that 31C near Hasimara is non existent. Then which is the best route from Alipur Duar to Birpara.

Btw, how much time does it take these days, as I'll will traveling with my wife? Last time in 2010 in Alto, it took me around 10 hrs with a lunch break in Barpeta. This time it'll be Manza.

So will a small detour near via Uttar Kamakhyaguri - Alipur Duar - Falakata a better option to the Hasimara part of 31C.

Thereafter I can decide on Jalpaiguri option or the Sevok option, which is around 40 - 50 kms more.

But what will be the time difference?

Originally Posted by pyrodrive

Sounds great.Travelling with friends or family?
sorry cant help much on your queries..except maybe day 1.
It should be a dawn to dusk drive.Roads are ok except a stretch of about 15km around hasimara.totally broken road with big craters,but thankfully gets better after 15km.otherwise NH31 is ok,except lots of diversions due to road constructions.slows down your average speed.

Sorry, didn't notice your post earlier.

So it's just 15 km near Hasimara? Great. Thanks. Shouldn't be much of a problem. Being in my line of job, seen many spine rattling roads and that too on a Gypsy.

Manza should help a lot, save for the engine guard scrapping. Been to Tsungetsar Lake on my Manza imagine.

[Junaid42465]

Dear mods,

I totally understand and very much wanted to do the same. But, I simply couldn't find the way to multi quote in the Android app I'm using on my note 2.

Else, I've to use the Web browser and access your desktop site, which is not very convenient to use. Please help me out here. No access to any computer here. No electricity only generator.

Once I reach Ganganagar things will definitely improve. I can assure that for sure. Till then kindly bear with me.

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by Junaid42465

If I'm not wrong, what you are suggesting is to go through Dhubri - Cooch Behar?

Dhubri is not on NH31. You'll need to turn right at Gauripur.
I generally take the Srirampur route. But then again, I'm in a SUV, daytime travel, and I know the secondary roads, for most part avoiding NH31C. Otherwise common consensus of tourists/ visitors is to use Boxirhat.

Which I think, the work is still on, but at least one side must have been 90% completed, just like Guwahati - Nagoan. Hopefully

I try and avoid the NH as much as possible. Possible, but you have to know the roads.

That's the only reason for me to go through Alipur Duar. Plus, you never know when there is a bandh declared in Goalpara. So I never took that in mind.

Alipur Duar is also not on the NH, (well, new alignment for EW highway, NH31D, passes through Alipur Duar. That 'NH' exists only on paper) but is on the secondary road which I normally use. I thought you were referring to that route.

You earlier wrote that 31C near Hasimara is non existent. Then which is the best route from Alipur Duar to Birpara.

Barabisa - Kamakhyaguri - AlipurDuar - Sonapur - Falakata. At Falakata you can go straight on to Birpara, or turn left for Dhupguri.

Btw, how much time does it take these days, as I'll will traveling with my wife? Last time in 2010 in Alto, it took me around 10 hrs with a lunch break in Barpeta. This time it'll be Manza.

So will a small detour near via Uttar Kamakhyaguri - Alipur Duar - Falakata a better option to the Hasimara part of 31C.

Its a parallel road, not really a detour. Has a lot of very narrow (single lane) bridges. You can't be impatient.

Thereafter I can decide on Jalpaiguri option or the Sevok option, which is around 40 - 50 kms more.

But what will be the time difference?

I'd rather say do you want to enter Siliguri, or avoid it. If you want to enter Siliguri, use Sevok.

So it's just 15 km near Hasimara? Great. Thanks. Shouldn't be much of a problem. Being in my line of job, seen many spine rattling roads and that too on a Gypsy.

This is in a class of its own. For experience's sake do it. But in a SUV. Best avoided in a sedan.

Regards
Sutripta

[wanderernomad]

I will be doing part of this route in April, from Mohali to Jorhat so am glued to this information as well.
On my part the roads till Dabwaali are broken in patches, though from Dabwaali to Ganganagar especially in the Rajasthan are excellent. Dabwaali itself is a pain with broken road and craters and potholed through the entire city limits.

[SumitB]

The best and safest route from Guwahati to Siliguri is as follows:

Guwahati-Mirza-Goalpara-North Saliamara-Chapar-Gauripur-Tufanganj-Cooch Behar-Falakata-Birpara-Mal Bazar-Sevoke-Siliguri

You should aim to get on to NH2 on your way to Delhi as fast as possible. I usually take Siliguri-Islampur-Dhalkhola-Purnia-Naugachia-Begusarai-Rajgir-Bodh Gaya-Dobhi (NH2)-Aurangabad-Varanasi-Kanpur-Agra-YEW-Delhi

The stretch between Naugachia and Begusarai was in tatters last year but as per Sheel, this has been done up and baring a few stretches, its mostly okay to drive on.

I will be doing Shillong-Guwahati-Siliguri-Patna-Lucknow-Kanpur-Agra-Delhi starting the 1st April.

Your day 3 plan is too ambitious. Gaya to Delhi would be a tall task to achieve in one day. However, if you're willing to put in 18+ hours of driving, it may be achievable.

[pramodsdixit]

Will be doing Purnia-Patna-Varanasi stretch in Feb 1st week.

the road from naugachia-purnia was in an excellent condition in oct this year (the same road was in a bad state in feb)

How is the route beyond this place i.e naugachia-begusarai-patna-arrah-mohania

or is the purnia-forbesganj-muzaffarpur-patna-arrah-mohania route better.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by pramodsdixit

How is the route beyond this place i.e naugachia-begusarai-patna-arrah-mohania

or is the purnia-forbesganj-muzaffarpur-patna-arrah-mohania route better.

Did the Purnia - Khagaria - Begusarai stretch on Saturday.

The road from Purnia to Khagaria is fantastic. Its amazing. Khagaria onwards, roads do go bad and night driving would be a pain, but day driving should be good.

As of now, the Mokamah bridge is under repairs, hence, only small CV's & 4 wheelers take this route. Should be congestion free.

[pramodsdixit]

Any updates on the Begusarai - Patna stretch?

Is Siliguri-Patna (via Begusarai) possible in a day if i leave Siliguri at about 6AM?

@Sheel, is the road between Khagaria-Begusarai quite bad or is it drivable for Verna Fluidic?

[wanderernomad]

Originally Posted by pramodsdixit

Any updates on the Begusarai - Patna stretch?

Is Siliguri-Patna (via Begusarai) possible in a day if i leave Siliguri at about 6AM?

@Sheel, is the road between Khagaria-Begusarai quite bad or is it drivable for Verna Fluidic?

Pramod the stretch you are talking about is very easily doable. ETD 0600 hrs Siliguri should see you at Patna around 1700 Max. When are you planning to leave?