People in Zhemgang and the neighbouring districts of Trongsa and Bumthang are urging the government to find a permanent solution to the recurring roadblocks at Boxcut in Sarpang and Reotala in Trongsa. They claim that for over two decades, these roadblocks have hindered their development efforts, especially for Zhemgang district.
Every year, with the onset of monsoon season, this stretch of the primary national highway road at Boxcut also called Boxcutting by the people gets blocked due to heavy landslides and flash floods. This is a recurring problem, cutting off the road link between Zhemgang and Gelephu. The situation not only puts the lives of the people at risk but also has a severe economic impact on the region.
Recently, several people and vehicles were stranded for days at the site.
“Everything, from salt to cooking oil, has to be transported from Gelephu. On top of that, our planned development activities, such as procuring materials and transportation, are being hindered by the frequent roadblocks at Boxcut. I think it is about time the government comes up with a solution to address this issue,” said Tshering Tenzin, a resident of Bardo.
“I assume the government must also be incurring huge losses from the recurring roadblocks. For the public, we are facing many problems because of the continuous roadblocks. Our sick people have to travel to Gelephu for referral cases and many face difficult situations when the road is blocked. There have been incidents in the past where patients died en route and we have had to return with their dead bodies,” said Dorji, a businessman.
“Between Trongsa and Zhemgang, and Zhemgang to Sarpang, there are recurring block issues. It is high time that our Bhutanese road experts use their expertise to solve this long-standing problem. This highway disruption affects all dzongkhags as it connects all districts via Zhemgang to the eastern, central, and southern regions. This recurring roadblock affects all people travelling on this route,” said Thinley Wangdi, another businessman.
Meanwhile, the other recurrent roadblock site at Reotala in Trongsa is said to have stabilised compared to the past few years. Some regular motorists say that the roadblock at Reotala is not as frequent as before. It has been about two years since traffic has remained undisrupted, unlike in the past.
Meanwhile, the chief engineer of the regional office of the Department of Surface Transport said that a bypass road at Box-cut via the Tshachu area will be constructed to address the issue. He added that the detailed project report has been completed and the construction has been proposed for this fiscal year but is yet to be approved.
Chief engineer Sonam Tashi said technical studies done by international experts estimated that stabilising the current slide area with mitigation measures would cost around one Nu 1bn.
The government spends about Nu 2 M every three months during the monsoon season for road clearance at Boxcut.
An official said that heavy precipitation and an increase in surface water during the monsoon are the main causes of landslides at Boxcut.
Boxcut is located about 15 kilometres from Gelephu towards Zhemgang.
Pema Samdrup, Zhemgang
Edited by Yeshi Gyaltshen
