Safer, smoother rides are ahead for Samdrup Jongkhar Thromde residents as the Thromde takes action to repair the town’s internal roads. The much-needed repairs at the Servicing Centre, people say, mark the first step in the thromde’s promise to deliver better roads throughout the town.
The road at the Servicing Centre leads to essential service industries like automobile workshops, furniture houses, and car washing centres.
For more than five years, the road has remained in bad shape, causing inconvenience for residents and businesses.
That’s set to change now. Repair work has already begun. The Thromde office is going to lay concrete blocks along the 300-meter stretch of the road instead of blacktop. It is to improve both safety and accessibility.
If everything goes as planned, residents will have a smoother servicing centre road by May this year.
“When the road conditions improve we expect more customers because with a bad road, people do not visit here. Before, roads used to be filled with rainwater,” said Sonam Dorji, an Automobile Workshop Owner.
Thinley Dorji, a commuter said, “The road was in bad condition. There used to be lots of dust, but now the road development work is going on, so we are hoping for a smoother ride.”
“Road becomes muddy in summer and dusty in winter. I am running a furniture house and dust is causing problems while making and polishing furniture. Now, I am hoping that road will become good within one to two months,” said Tenzin Jamtsho, a furniture house owner.
The Thromde Administration is investing over Nu 5 M in laying the paver blocks.
The thromde has proposed another Nu 35 M for the road developmental work in the core town area and the road from Samdrup Jongkhar Primary School to the STCBL fuel depot as part of the Small Development Project.
Kinley Wangchuk
Edited by Sangay Chezom
