A six-kilometre stretch of the road between Martang and Ashikhar village on the 48-kilometre Dewathang-Samdrupchhoeling Highway has been flagged as one of the worst sections of the route. The severely deteriorated road conditions have raised safety concerns among commuters and residents, prompting calls for urgent government action to address the issue.
The residents of Martang and Ashikhar villages claim that the bad road is causing severe dust issues, affecting daily life and health.
The road is riddled with potholes, uneven surfaces, and sections prone to landslides, particularly during heavy rain.
Residents say this particular road stretch has remained so for more than five years.
“Dust is causing problems for our children and is also affecting growth of vegetables. I usually don’t cultivate vegetables, but this year, I tried, however, the dust is hampering growth,” said Zangmo, a resident of Dewathang Gewog.
“Dust is a problem for us. It would be better if the government could blacktop this stretch of the road. Dust blows even inside our homes and it also affects vegetables,” said Sangay Chopel, another resident.
About a hundred vehicles ply along the Dewathang- Samdrupchhoeling highway daily. Commuters say the poor road conditions also impact access to essential services such as healthcare.
“Sometimes we have to travel during the night and it takes so much time to travel along this poorly maintained stretch. There are chances of encountering elephants. The condition of this road has remained bad for a long time,” said Krishna Bahadur Tamang, a commuter.
According to the Department of Surface Transport Office in Dewathang, due to a budget constraint, the stretch of the road between Martang and Ashikhar could not be blacktopped when the 42-kilometre road was blacktopped.
However, the department has proposed Nu 215 M to maintain the road between Martang and Ashikhar in the next financial year.
The work is expected to be carried out by Project Dantak since the government has planned to hand over 50 kilometres of Dewathang-Samdrupcholing highway to Project Dantak.
Unless the road between Martang and Ashikhar is blacktopped, it will continue to disrupt the lives of residents and commuters.
Kinley Wangchuk, Samdrup Jongkhar
Edited by Phub Gyem
