People in the four gewogs of Shelnga-Bjemi, Toedwang, Chhubu and Dzomi are waiting for a budget to maintain their gewog connectivity (GC) road. According to them, the road was blacktopped about a decade ago, and today the road is riddled with potholes and in need of maintenance. The road starts from the Khuruthang bridge along the Phochhu River.
The Chairperson of the Punakha Dzongkhag Tshogdu, Samten Phuentsho, said the proposal for the road maintenance proposal is already submitted. “We did not receive the budget so far. We are ready to start the works soon after receiving the budget. I am also expecting that the government would definitely grant the budget,” he said.
According to the residents, the road condition has worsened over the years due to the increasing number of vehicles. Today, the poor condition of the road is a burden on the residents. They say people have to bear a huge cost on vehicle maintenance.
“As a farmer, we have to take our agriculture products to the market. Due to potholes, our vehicles break down time and again. On top of that, we don’t know whether there are potholes while raining. So, the public would reap the benefit if the road is maintained properly,” said Kinley Penjor, from Toedwang Gewog in Punakha.
“It’s not comfortable to drive on the road due to dust. Dust not only affect people on the road, but also the drying clothes nearby roads. Likewise, there are also chances of splashing water to others while raining,” added Sangay Dorji, from Dzomi Gewog.
They also said that due to the poor condition of the road the taxi fare also shoots up since many taxi drivers refused to travel on such roads.
“If the road is in good condition, we get vehicle easily from Khuruthang to Shelngana and also do not have to pay a high fare. But if the road condition is bad, it’s difficult to get a vehicle firstly and secondly the fare is high. It’s not a big problem for heavy vehicles, but small vehicles easily break down,” said Passang Dorji, the Tshogpa of Khubji-Tshosa chiwog under Shelnga-Bjemi Gewog.
“As we stay in the village we have to carry loads in our vehicle. We do not get passenger if we don’t take loads. So, our vehicle springs break time and again. Because of this, we have to ultimately take our vehicle to the workshop and the price of spring is not the same as earlier. It cost Nu 2,000 for a piece now. Since all the responsibilities of the road are handed over to the respective dzongkhag and gewog, I feel it would be difficult for them to maintain the works hereafter due to limited staff,” said Tenzin Namgay, a taxi driver from Toedwang Gewog.
According to the people, some parts of the road are getting damaged due to the negligence and carelessness of the public. They also say taking care of the road by the public is a challenging job. The road was handed over to the dzongkhag administration by the department of road in the 12th Five Year Plan.
“Our people do not take care of the water properly. They release all the extra water on the road from their fields. Roads are getting damaged especially during the summer season as they bring a large volume of water overflowing the small canal onto the road. Sometimes people dig up the road to channel their water pipes and do not maintain it properly,” said Sangay Dorji.
“We see people being irresponsible, maybe because of not having to pay from their pocket. But the road condition has become worst like in the past after lifting the PWD workers. From one way I feel our people should be responsible for the road, but from the other hand they have their own works to do, which is a complicated one,” added the Khubji-Tshosa Tshogpa.
According to the Dzongkhag Tshogdu Chairperson, the total budget for the road maintenance works was estimated at around Nu 66 M and the works were even tendered out.
“We have requested the Foreign Minister and Lyonpo told us that the budget would be given after figuring out the balance budget in the central government. So, we have withheld the work order so far. We are expecting to get the budget before the end of June. If not, we are expecting to get in the next financial year 2021-2022 without fail,” the Chairperson said.
More than 25 kilometres of the road require maintenance. However, the leaders are planning to maintain only the potholes, drains and other developmental works. They have also planned the work in three packages to complete it at the earliest.
Changa Dorji, Punakha
