The 48 kilometre road stretch connecting Dewathang and Samdrupcholing in Samdrup Jongkhar has been crying for a major repair ever since it was first constructed in 1979. No major blacktopping was carried out since then.
Motorists plying the road said, even though the road was damaged by frequent landslides, the department of roads is yet to repair them. A motorist, Ugyen Tshering said the blacktop easily gets washed away during the monsoon. Smaller vehicles have more difficulty driving through the road.
The community raised their concern to the prime minister. The prime minister, in his recent gewog visit said the matter will be discussed with the department of roads. However, he said, it was also important to be mindful that the area atleast have a road, he said there were other places deprived of roads.
With widening works to begin soon, there is no plan to blacktop the road anytime. The works and human settlement ministry has approved Nu 15M to widen 10 kilometre stretch of the highway in the current fiscal year.
