The residents of Sang-Ngag-Chhoeling Gewog in Samtse are unhappy with recent road maintenance work over their gewog centre road. The GC road, considered one of the country’s oldest, was repaired a few months ago. However, residents are disappointed as the road is already showing signs of deterioration.
Just a few months after the Sang-Ngag-Chhoeling Gewog centre road was freshly maintained, things have taken a turn for the worse. The road is already showing signs of wear and tear with numerous potholes popping up along the four-kilometre stretch.
In addition, the Plain Cement Concrete works done on the road are also deteriorating.
Residents have observed that the concrete pavements started to deteriorate within a few weeks of their completion.
Similarly, the construction of drains, which was also included in the maintenance project, was not executed properly according to the residents.
“The concrete pavements from here till the end of the road point started to wear out after just two weeks. Likewise, we also struggled a lot while the maintenance works were being carried out. The road was closed for almost three months,” said Nar Bdr Rai, a resident.
“We are also not happy with the drainage works. Some of the drains are smaller in height when compared to the road. Likewise, some drains are not straight while others are built in an elevated way. We do not know if these drains will serve its purpose,” said Chandra Chettri, another resident.
“With the onset of monsoon season, there will be a lot of flash floods happening along this stretch. And our children use this road to get to their school. Sometimes, the flash flood is severe. It would be better if the drainage works can be improved and completed before the monsoon season,” said Bhuwan Rai, another resident.
A group of ten concerned residents recently wrote to the gewog administration expressing their dissatisfaction with the renovation works on the GC road.
According to the Sang-Ngag-Chhoeling Gewog Administration, they have contacted the contractor multiple times, urging them to rectify the work. The gewog has not taken over the road from the contractor as yet.
The contractor has agreed to rectify the works along the entire road. According to the gewog office, the contractor has committed to completing the necessary improvements by the mid of June.
The renovation work on the Sang-Ngag-Chhoeling Gewog centre road, which was constructed in the 1960s, was estimated to cost around Nu 2.4 M.
Passang Dorji, Samtse
