Bharlenay in Tendu Gewog of Samtse was finally connected with a farm road last year. However, the joy of the residents was short-lived as the road was closed indefinitely after a few months. Confused by this, the residents have written to the Tashichhoeling Dungkhag Administration recently for clarifications.
Today the farm road is covered in bushes and grass, and looks like a land left fallow for years.
The farm road beneficiaries claim they are neither aware of the main reason for the sudden closure of the road nor were briefed by the gewog administration despite their repeated request to date.
“We were very happy with the construction of the farm road but it was blocked later. We don’t know why. We have written to the gewog asking for a reason but we didn’t get anything in reply. Now that the LG election has approached and the local government has dissolved, we don’t know whom to ask. We have written to the dungkhag about the matter,” said Ran Bdr Limbu, from Bharlenay.
The residents’ hope for better access to markets and health facilities after they got the farm road is still a dream.
“We face challenges while transporting our farm produce from Bharlenay to Tendu. If vehicles are allowed on the road, it will be much easier for us. We also face difficulty when someone gets sick in the village. We have to carry them till Tendu,” he added.
The residents wrote to the Dungkhag recently for clarifications. According to their letter, the road was closed on security grounds. They are now asking the Dungkhag to investigate how the gewog obtained environmental clearance to construct the road in the first place. They also question the wastage of the government budget.
The Tendu Gewog Administration however denied the allegation. Assuring they have all necessary documents required for the construction of the farm road, the gewog administration said that the road was only closed temporarily to avoid illegal trafficking along the border area with the dzongkhag’s consent.
The Dungkhag Administration is planning to meet the farm road beneficiaries after the ongoing Dhamngoi Zomdu is over.
The four-kilometre farm road from Dangreybu to Bharlenay was constructed with a budget of about Nu 1 M in the financial year 2019-20. While the farm road directly benefits 11 households of Bharlenay village, a few residents of Tendu with their farmland in the area are also benefited by the stretch.
Passang Dorji, Samtse
Edited by Sonam
