The long-awaited 70-kilometre-long Nganglam–Dewathang Highway is not just linking two towns but reconnecting people to their roots. With road construction or the formation cutting from both ends meeting last month, the highway is already expected to bring in many changes.
Nganglam finally gets connected to Dewathang after three years since the construction began. The highway is expected to be ready by 2028.
For the people of Arden–Khalatsho Chiwog in Pema Gatshel, this marks a major turning point. The chiwog lies along the upcoming highway. In the early 2000s, people from the chiwog moved to Dewathang in Samdrup Jongkhar due to difficult life. And now they are hoping to return to their ancestral lands.
“Now the highway is connected, so we are thinking of returning. We have our ancestral lands there. If a farm road is provided, we are planning to go back,” said Nima Gyeltshen, Shingburiwoong, Dewathang Gewog, Samdrup Jongkhar.
“We don’t have enough land here to grow fruit trees. Now that the road is connected, we are hopeful we can return and work on our family lands,” said Ugyen Dorji, Shingburiwoong, Dewathang Gewog, Samdrup Jongkhar.
“My children are still connected with people from Chhoekhorling Gewog in Pema Gatshel. I always told them it would be better to cultivate land in Arden. That’s why we stayed close to our original place instead of moving far away,” said Phurpa Dorji, Shingburiwoong, Dewathang Gewog, Samdrup Jongkhar.
And that dream is not finally becoming a reality. Better connectivity is expected to improve access to markets, services, and transportation, making farming and resettlement a realistic option.
To support this transition, the gewog administration has prioritised farm road development to ensure returning families can easily reach their land.
“People of Arden have orange and areca nut plantations at a place called Dungpa Borang. We will construct a farm road within this fiscal year. The work has already been awarded to a contractor,” said Kinzang Rabten, Chhoekhorling Gup, Pema Gatshel.
For the people of the Chiwog, this highway is more than just a road.
It is a pathway back home, carrying renewed hope, opportunity, and the promise of a better future.
Thinley Dorji, Pema Gatshel
Edited by Tandin Phuntsho
