The restoration works for a section of the road towards Lawshong near Trongsa town will begin next week. At the moment, the district administration is waiting for the work’s structural design. A landslide last year damaged the stretch.
Road extension works and incessant rain in March last year damaged almost 50 meters of the road towards Lawshong. It affected hundreds of residents living atop and on the other side of the slide.
“Besides Trongsa police station and camps, about seven households are situated next to the slide area. And this summer, they had to face a lot of inconveniences. I hope the situation will improve as the concerned authorities are seeking supports to ease the problem,” said Karma Lethro, the Thromde Thuemi of Trongsa.
“Every day we have to escort inmates to court for the proceedings such as remand, trial, and charge sheets. And when we do not have the access road to the police station, we have to escort the inmates till the slide area. So in due course of escort, there is vulnerability or there may develop a chance to escape. So this is our concern for now,” said Galay Namgay, the Officer Commanding of the Royal Bhutan Police in Trongsa.
“I live right above the slide area. So I worry a lot. I think the road will get eroded more in summer. For now, despite the looming danger, I cannot do anything. I cannot move into another house nor can I sleep well. Here, it is difficult for people in the lower-income group to get a decent house,” added Karma Dechen, from Lawshong in Trongsa.
The district administration awarded the works to design the new structure of the road to an Indian consultation firm. The firm’s base office in Trongsa said the drawings will be submitted to the district administration in a few days.
“As soon as we receive the design drawings, we will award the contract to a competent contractor. Moreover, we have two mega hydro projects here, so we would seek their support, and together with district administration, we will execute the job,” said Karma Dhendup, the Dzongrab Gom of Trongsa.
The restoration of the stretch is estimated to cost more than Nu 10 M.
Passang, Trongsa
