The Flood Engineering and Management Division of the Ministry Works and Human Settlement (MoWHS) identified a possible site to construct a bridge over Mao River in Gelegphu, as part of its primary studies on the construction of river protection wall to prevent flooding.
It stretches from below the Gelegphu thromde’s water treatment plant till the fishery area, which is about half a kilometre. The department of roads (DoR) will carry out a further feasibility study.
“From DoR side, our plan is to carry out a detailed feasibility study and also detail project of the Mao River. If everything works out well then we might start construction of bridge within the 12th five-year plan,” Tenzin, the Director General of DoR, said.
The information and communications and works and human settlement ministers visited the identified site and also met with local leaders of four gewogs across the Mao River and Thromde officials on March 3.
The information and communications minister, who is also the MP of Gelephu constituency, asked them to render necessary support while carrying out the project’s technical study.
“The pledge of constructing a bridge over the river has been there since 2008. However, it could not materialize. We did not have the fund to construct it. There were other problems as well. But now, after a decade, I sincerely hope we will have a bridge over Mao River,” Information and Communications Minister Karma Donen Wangdi said.
The government has a budget outlay of Nu 400 M in the 12th Five Year Plan for the Mao Bridge project.
