Every monsoon, some stretch of the road at Namling along the Monggar-Bumthang national highway becomes slippery and prone to landslides. Considering the risk the stretch poses for the commuters, the roads department has been cautioning the public to avoid travel along the stretch, especially after dusk. The department said they will not be accountable if any causality occurs after dusk.
Due to the frequent landslides along various locations at Namling, the Department of Roads in Monggar issued a circular recently asking commuters not to travel along the stretch after dusk. But, according to the department, despite the notice, some commuters are still travelling at night risking their lives. Though no causality was reported, a bolero pickup truck was buried at Namling two weeks ago. The incident drew a lot of criticism on social media calling for the safety of commuters.
“We have already made several announcements both on BBS and on social media every month and sometimes every after two weeks informing commuters about the stretches that are risky. Despite it all, if commuters travel late at night, they will have to take their risks and the department of roads will not be accountable for any mishaps,” said Kinzang Dorji, the Chief Engineer with the DoR office at Lingmethang in Monggar.
The Chief Engineer says currently there are three different locations at Namling that pose a major risk for commuters.
“During the time of journey, commuters have to drive cautiously in the landslide-prone areas. There will be slow sliding of boulders and soil before a landslide. It will not occur at once,” said the Chief Engineer.
According to the engineer, due to the formation cutting works along the east-west highway, the soil has become loose and is prone to landslides and falling boulders.
Sonam Tshering, Monggar
Edited by Phub Gyem
