Many people had doubts, especially those in the Dzongkhags that, whether the new government will take up the 600 megawatt Kholongchhu hydroelectric project in Trashiyangtse or not. Now, with the road widening works for the project started people are happy that it is finally kicking-off.
Around Nu. 727 million will be spent to widen the existing Trashiyantse highway. About 35 kilometres of the Trashigang-Trashiyangtse highway will be widened, starting from Chazam in Trashigang till Buyang in Trashiyangtse where the project’s dam will be constructed.
The department of roads is taking up the road widening works. By the end of June this year, around 10 kilometres of the highway will be widened. For this the government has released Nu. 40 million. So far around Nu. 13 million has been spent for the widening works.
“We will provide technical assistance wherever necessary. But we are planning to give the majority of the widening works to contractors. We will give them in packages like three to four kilometers so that if contractors fail to work, then it will be convenient for us to take over the work or give it to other contractors,” Sherub Phuntsho, Executive Engineer, DOR, Trashigang.
The road widening works is expected to be complete by 2017, including black-topping and construction of a bridge over Kholongchhu in Doksum.
According to the department of roads lack of bypass road to divert traffic is hindering their work progress. “We are widening a very narrow road. And there is no bypass way to divert the travellers. So from time to time we have to let the vehicles pass. And to get clearances, it takes a lot of time,” said the Executive Engineer.
