It has been about two years since a farm road was constructed in Bhalue chiwog of Punakha. But the road has remained mostly unused until now due to an incomplete bridge. Without the bridge, the road remained unconnected and people continued with their struggles especially while transporting farm produce to the market. But today, the wishes of the people of Bhalue have been fulfilled. The newly constructed 150 feet long Bailey bridge was inaugurated on Saturday.
The construction of the bridge took almost two years to complete due to the pandemic. The contractor asked for the contract to be terminated a few months ago due to cost escalation caused by the pandemic.
The district administration with support from the Construction Development Corporation Limited then completed the construction of the bridge.
Despite the delay, people are happy as they will no longer have to suffer like in the past.
“We are old. Moreover, we don’t have enough manpower and it is very difficult to transport farm produce like we did those days. But now we can easily take it to the market. And even if we cannot go to the market, buyers can come to our village,” said Kado, a farmer.
“Earlier, we had to harvest chilli in the morning hours, and arrange for it to be transported in the afternoons. But now we can harvest it in the evening hours and conveniently transport it in a vehicle the next morning,” said Kinley Dem, another farmer.
According to district administration officials, measures have also been put in place to ensure the safety of the bridge.
“We needed to change the river direction so that it didn’t directly hit the bridge. So, we have constructed the boulder protection to protect the abutment. Likewise, the bridge materials are also new,” said Sonam Yangki, the Assistant Engineer of Punakha District Administration.
The bridge was constructed at a cost of over Nu 20 M which was supported by the Government of India. Bhalue chiwog has 30 households and is one of the highest vegetable-producing regions in Punakha.
Changa Dorji, Punakha
Edited by Tshering Zam
