People of Thasa chiwog at Laja Gewog in Dagana are requesting for a bypass to connect the chiwog with the Tsirang-Wangdue highway. They said the bypass will shorten the travel distance by more than 27 kilometres while travelling to other parts of the country. The chiwog, which has 28 households, is an hour’s walk from Burichhu in Tsirang.
Without a bypass, the villagers have to take the road which is more than 30 kilometres via Tshangkha Gewog in Dagana. And only vehicles such as boleros and DCM trucks can travel along that road.
But if a bypass is constructed, the distance between the chiwog and Burichhu which is located along the Tsirang-Wangdue highway will be reduced to just a little over two kilometres.
For now, in order to save travel time, people prefer walking along a footpath which directly connects them with Burichhu, though it is steep and slippery during summer.
And it is challenging to walk along this footpath especially when they have to carry goods and patients on their backs.
“We have to walk for hours along this way. Last year, a child passed away on the way to the hospital. We have a road via Tsangkha gewog but it takes longer time so we use this road during emergencies. But it is risky,” Kencho Dorji, a resident.
“It will be convenient for us to reach our products to market even if we grow vegetables. But today it is challenging for us since we have to carry everything on our backs to reach the nearest road point,” said Nim Tshering, another resident.
“Travelling via Tsangkha gewog is expensive for us. For instance, we have to pay Nu 5,000-6,000 till Tsirang. But if we get a bypass, we don’t have to pay more than Nu 500-600,” said Dechen Tshewang, another resident.
According to Laja Gup, the Gewog administration has allocated Nu 1.4 M for bypass construction in the current financial year. The Gup said the road construction works will begin once the gewog acquires all clearances from the relevant agencies.
Pema Tshewang, Dagana
Edited by Tshering Zam
