Farmers of La-Nangzor and Phagpuloo villages in Pema Gatshel’s Chongshing Gewog are unable to fully utilize their farm road. A stretch of the farm road has been constructed on a steep slope and drivers have been refusing to travel along the road. Residents have been requesting the gewog administration to improve the road condition by reducing the steepness of the slope.
The stretch which is steep, is about a hundred metres. It was constructed as a bypass after a portion of the La-Nangzor- Phagpuloo farm road was washed away a few years ago.
Lungten Gyeltshen, a resident said “drivers are hesitant to travel through this road because it is steep, making it difficult to transport goods. Even if they agree to travel, they charge very high fares, which we cannot afford.”
Jamyang Wangchuk, another resident said “as the road is steep, vehicles cannot carry heavy loads. Therefore, we have to split the load into two for which we have to pay more.”
Sangay, who is also a resident said “the village only has elderly people. So, it is difficult for us to walk and we often have to hire a vehicle. However, it is difficult to get a vehicle due to the poor condition of the road.”
These days, the district administration has deployed an excavator to clear a roadblock near Phagpuloo village and residents are urging the gewog administration to make use of that excavator to improve their road as well.
Lungten Gyeltshen, a resident said “today the machine is here, and we hope they will improve this road.”
The Guyum-La-Nangzor Tshogpa said that the gewog administration has decided to improve the road using that excavator.
Sonam Norzin, Guyum-La-Nangzor Tshogpa said “the bypass is steep due to the landscape. The gewog has deployed a machine in our village to clear the block. Therefore, the gewog administration and the villagers have discussed about reducing the steepness of the road.”
The villagers use the road to transport oranges, cardamom, avocados and other farm produce to the nearby market.
Thinley Dorji, Pema Gatshel
Edited by Tshering Zam
