By June next year, people of Lauri Gewog in Samdrup Jongkhar will have enough reasons to be happy. Their gewog connectivity road will be fully blacktopped by then. After coming to an abrupt halt amid the pandemic, preparation to blacktop the 36-kilometre road is back on track. However, people are asking if the contractors could expedite the work.
So far, only about 25 per cent of the works are complete. The road improvement works include widening of parts of the stretch, laying Granular Sub-base (GSB), and construction of drains and walls. And having delayed the work, people are complaining that it gives them a lot of inconveniences.
“They are taking a long time to complete the work. We don’t know when they would finish the work, but when it rains, a landslide occurs and blocks the road. For now, villagers volunteer and clear them,” said Samten Norbu, a villager.
Likewise, people are also complaining of dust problems during winter. They said that the road becomes so dusty to ply on.
However, with the contractors back to work, people are happy about the work progress.
“The contractors have resumed the work and it is progressing well,” said another villager Tshewang Dargay.
Three contractors are carrying out the preparation works to blacktop the road. Began early last year, the project, worth more than Nu 110 M was supposed to complete in December.
However, according to the dzongkhag administration, due to a series of lockdowns in Jomotsangkha Dungkhag, contractors could not bring in workers and materials. Today, the contractors are given a time extension till June next year.
Once complete, the road will become a lifeline for more than 500 families of the gewog and will also benefit parts of Serthig Gewog.
Kinley Wangchuk, Samdrup Jongkhar
Edited by Chayku
