Bumpy rides, vehicle damages, farm products rotting in fields, and carrying patients to the highway – these are still fresh memory among the people of Jangwakha-Sewla chiwog under Chhubu Gewog in Punakha. But it’s fading away by the day. They now have a good road, an indispensable treat that is making their lives better.
The 17-kilometre farm road from the Chhubu Gewog Centre to Sewla Goenpa was constructed in 2008. However, the road remained unfit for vehicular movements for a long time. It mostly affected the resident of the upper chiwog.
“Especially during monsoon, the road remained unfit for vehicular movements. And without transportation, our vegetables would rot in the field,” said Dawa Gyeltsen, one of the farmers in the chiwog.
Likewise, the Principal of the Sewla Goenpa, Namgay said the road remained slippery and muddy during monsoon and filled with potholes during the other days.
“While taking patients to hospital, we would worry a lot about the patient and the attendant. Likewise, we worried a lot while running errands for the goenpa,” he added.
Earlier, only heavy and medium vehicles were able to ply through the road, and locals said they had difficulty getting vehicles from Samdingkha to reach their village and to transport their farm produces.
“Even bolero drivers would refuse to go with us fearing that their vehicle would suffer damages on the way,” said another farmer Samgay Dem.
However, struggling days are finally over for the villagers. The stretch was treated to a GSB topping. Began in February this year, the construction was completed recently. More than 75 households are already reaping the benefits.
According to locals, they no longer have issues as in the past. Unlike in the past, it only cost the villagers Nu 200 to reach the goenpa.
As per the Jangwakha-Sewla chiwog Tshogpa, Tsagay, the GSB topping has solved major problem the public there faced. He said the road is as good as blacktopped and has good drainage as well.
What used to take more than one and a half hours to reach the Sewla Monastery before, has now become a journey of just a little over 30 minutes.
Besides, as it improved, the road brought along an increasing number of devotees to the monastery. Besides, farmers are already thinking about expanding their agriculture production as well.
The Government of India funded the construction of the GSB worth close to Nu 30 M. With the final touch-up underway, the road will be handed over to the gewog soon.
Changa Dorji, Punakha
Edited by Chayku
