Public transport woes in Zhemgang

Aug 28, 2012

People of Zhemgang and Trongsa taking a public transport to Gelephu and Buli have to wait for hours and sometimes even a whole day. It has been over a month since the three buses which plies in between Zhemgang to Gelephu and Gelephu to Buli have been irregular. The buses used to ply thrice a week.

Many people who are farmers say taking a taxi in absence of the buses is expensive for them. “We cannot afford it,” said Sangay Wangchuk, a farmer from Zhemgang. He says they could take to walking had the distance been shorter.

The affected parties are not the farmers alone. Business people say they are equally affected. They say they use the public buses to transport the goods especially from Gelephu. “But now our shops are getting empty by the day,” said Tashi Tenzin, a shopkeeper in Zhemgang.

The Road Safety and Transport Authority’s official Tshering Tobgye said the public buses are under maintenance. He said they have issued official letter to the proprietor to reinstate the services as soon. “We were informed that the buses are undergoing a major repair