People of Dhur_Lusibee chiwog in Bumthang are not happy with the Natural Resource Development Corporation’s (NRDCL) logging activities along their farm road. They are blaming the company’s timber carrying trucks for the majority of the damages caused to the road.
The first six kilometres of the road is shared between the two villages of Chhoekhor Gewog and NRDCL.
The people of Dhur Chiwog do not get any road maintenance budget for the stretch as NRDCL is responsible for its annual maintenance.
However, locals claim the company has not carried out any maintenance work since 2016.
“The gewog and dzongkhag administrations could not convert the farm road to a feeder road, so there is no provision for maintenance budget for us. Though NRDCL carried out some maintenance works in the past, the works are not up to the standard. About 5 to 6 trucks use the road every day to transport logs and they leave huge damages on it. This causes a lot of trouble for people driving light vehicles along the road,” Pema Tshering from Dhur said.
“There are some bridges along the road, which the NRDCL left incomplete. If they do not finish its constructions soon, in summer, when the streams swell, we won’t even be able to carry patients to hospitals during emergencies,” Pema Tshewang, also from Dhur, said.
The issue was raised a couple of times during the past Dzongkhag Tshogdu sessions. People wanted the road to be converted to a feeder road so they get budget for its maintenance.
“We discussed the maintenance of the road again during the Gewog Tshogde this year. The NRDCL agreed to complete all the maintenance and construction works by March. However, they haven’t started the works,” Sonam Phuntsho, the Dhur_Lusibee’s Tshogpa, said.
BBS tried to contact the NRDCL’s Regional Manager in Bumthang but he did not respond to the calls and messages.
