Residents of Dato Chiwog of Punakha’s Shenga Bjemi Gewog can look forward to improved road connectivity. Critical stretches in need of maintenance will soon be repaired. The 4.5 kilometres farm road that has served the community for decades has been in poor condition.
The farm road, originally constructed in the late 1990s to serve Dato Goenpa, has been a lifeline for the community.
Despite the gewog administration’s maintenance efforts, the road condition has gradually deteriorated over the years.
Today, the road is riddled with potholes across most of its length.
Residents say the uneven surface leads to high transportation costs and frequent vehicle damage. Dust in winter and muddy conditions in summer make travel even more difficult.
Rinchen Dorji, Dato Tshogpa of Shenga Bjemi Gewog said “We sometimes have no choice but to drive small vehicles, which often get damaged and need repairs the next day. Likewise, even when we try to hire a taxi from town, taxi drivers decline to come to our village, saying the road condition to Dato Goenpa is poor. Taxi drivers would directly refuse to come to our village from Khuruthang itself.”
Pema Tenzin, a resident said “The road is in poor condition and filled with potholes. For young people, it may not be an issue, but for elderly people like me, it is very difficult. We often feel unwell by the time we reach home.”
Namgay Gyeltshen, another resident said “There is a risk of vehicle accidents when we have to take patients to the hospital at night, especially during rainy days. Likewise, our main agricultural produce is red rice, and when we have to take it to Khuruthang, we face many challenges because we have to transport it in light vehicles.”
However, things are now looking up.
Around 15.6 million ngultrum from the Government of India’s High Impact Community Development Project is being spent on blacktopping, laying Plain Cement Concrete (PCC), and constructing drains along critical sections of the road.
The gewog office issued the work order to the contractor in March, and initial works such as collecting materials, have already begun.
Samten Phuntsho, Shenga Bjemi Gup said “We will blacktop 2 kilometres of the road, and based on the geological condition, we will also lay PCC for approximately 450 metres. In total, 2.45 kilometres of the road will be improved through blacktopping and PCC works. Work has started.”
He says the project is expected to be completed by March next year.
He also added that the remaining stretches will be blacktopped in the following financial years, depending on budget availability.
Changa Dorji, Punakha
Edited by Tshering Zam
