Without a Basic Health Unit (BHU), a school and a separate Dungkhag Court within the Dungkhag premises, the staff and residents have to travel more than 10 kilometres to avail themselves of the services from Silambi Gewog in Monggar.
The Dungkhag was established in 2005 to make the administrative tasks easier for the two remote gewogs of Gongdue and Silambi. However, without the basic requirements such as school and health amenities in the outskirts of dungkhag, life has not been easier for those people working and living there.
Initially, the Dungkhag has an extended classroom but it was closed two years ago due to low student enrollment rate. The Chief Dzongkhag Education Officer could not be contacted on this matter as he was not available.
Locals and civil servants working in the Dungkhag shared that enrolling their children in Nagor school takes quite a toil on the children as well as the parents.
“We have a school located at Nagor in Silambi Gewog which is about 12 kilometres away from the Dungkhag office. During summer children face lots of trouble going to school. But if we have a separate primary school in the Dungkhag, it will be very helpful. And during summer we have to visit nearby BHU by carrying the sick on our back. So we need a BHU in the dungkhag as well,” said Sangay Wangchuk, a staff of Weringla Dungkhag.
Tshering from Weringla also added, “they are facing inconvenience without a school in the Dungkhag. Children have to walk almost 12 kilometres from the Dungkhag to reach Nagor School. So, every week, parents have to visit the school to meet their children. But during summer it’s impossible, as most of the roads remain disconnected.”
The Deputy Chief Dzongkhag Health Officer, Tshering Dorji says that the Dungkhag is not feasible to get a BHU due to less population. However, he added that the Nagor BHU Unit would be upgraded to grade II in 2021.
Due to lack of infrastructure, the dungkhag court office is also attached with dungkhag administrative office. And according to some dungkhag staff, it is not convenient to work in a cramped room. But with the groundbreaking ceremony for new dungkhag court construction recently, the construction works will start by next year.
Sonam Tshering
