Local leaders and government officials in Samtse are questioning the quality of cement bricks produced by three different manufacturers in the district’s Namgyalchhoeling Gewog. At the recent Dzongkhag Tshogdu, they said the bricks were of inferior quality and could compromise safety.
The Namgyalchhoeling Gup, Ratna Bdr. Ghalley said the demand for locally manufactured cement bricks shot up after the borders with India sealed. He added, against the increasing demand the quality of the bricks declined.
“People complained to their Tshogpas about the brick’s quality. So first we discussed in the Gewog Tshogde and then decided to put it for discussion in the Dzongkhag Tshogdu,” said the Namgyalchhoeling Gup.
The Tashichhoeling Duungpa said government constructions in the dungkhag, which are mostly schools, are taking cement bricks from the three manufacturers.
“The nearest place to buy bricks is from the three manufacturers at Jitti. But they manufacture today and supply tomorrow. There is no time for the cement to cure. The ministry or the department responsible for quality monitoring should look at the quality of their bricks,” said Phuntsho Wangdi, Tashichhoeling Dungpa.
But the three manufacturers claimed there is no compromise on the quality.
“People come and order bricks from us. They insist on taking the bricks which are not fully cured, saying they will do the curing themselves. We tell them to come again, but they don’t listen. The cement bricks need 15 to 20 days of curing,” added Deepen Tamang, brick manufacturer.
“I can’t say about the other two manufacturers. But here, I use the cement from Nganglam and not Gomtu. I also use silicon powder from Pasakha. Until now, no one complained of my product’s quality. Buyers come and take the bricks made yesterday, saying their work is stalled without the material. But I do stop them. I tell them this will land us in trouble,” said Kona, another brick manufacturer.
“I don’t know if the allegations come after doing tests. I can’t say about the other two manufacturers, but I started production in February, and the quality is good. Customers of the other two manufacturers have also come to me for bricks. The demand is quite high. I make sure the quality is good,” said Buddhi Man Mongar, brick manufacturer.
The BBS learned that despite complaints, no formal tests were carried out to check the quality of the bricks.
The Dzongkhag Tshogdu decided to write to the economic affairs ministry to check the quality of the sample bricks for every batch of production and verify whether or not the manufacturers possess a quality standards certification. The meeting decided to suspend the operations of the manufacturing units that fail to meet the quality standards or produce the certification.
Sherub Dorji, Samtse
