With the completion of the resurfacing works of the 33-kilometre stretch between Gangola highway in Monggar and Lhuentse, commuters will no longer have to experience the bumpy rides. The department of roads in Autsho will soon propose the works and human settlement ministry to resurface the remaining 27-kilometre stretch of the highway.
The department of roads began the resurfacing works in 2015. Without much progress on the maintenance works, local leaders often raised the concern during the Dzongkhag Tshogdu.
“Now it is really convenient for us. In the earlier days, drivers used to take almost three to four hours to reach Monggar from Lhuentse. But with the maintenance works going on, we can easily reach Monggar in three hours. Moreover, it is so inconvenient when we take patients to the Monggar hospital,” said Karma Loday, a resident in Lhuntse.
“ We used to face a lot of difficulties travelling to Gangola from Lhuentse. It used to take two hours to reach Monggar from Autsho. But with the current maintenance of the highway, it is very convenient travelling on the road now. With the ongoing resurfacing work, we can now reach Monggar within an hour from Autsho. Now only a few stretches are not resurfaced. The government has been continuously maintaining the highway and we are hopeful that they will soon complete all the maintenance work,” added Tshering La, another resident.
The department of roads spent more than Nu 40 M for the resurfacing works. To execute the remaining work, the sub-division office of the department of roads in Autsho is expecting an additional budget from the ministry in July this year.
The highway plays an important role in the lives of the people. Most of them often travel through the highway for medical check-ups in Monggar, for shopping and to visit sacred places in Lhuentse.
Sonam Tshering, Lhuentse
