Residents of Chidungkhar Village in Samdrup Jongkhar’s Gomdar Gewog are calling for a farm road to Pasaphu village in Trashigang. They say the new road would reduce travel time and improve access to essential services. Currently, without a direct route to Pasaphu, a trip to Trashigang via Narphung takes five to six hours. They say the proposed road would reduce the journey by two to three hours, benefitting both communities.
Chidungkhar residents say Pasaphu in Trashigang is just over an hour’s walk from their community. At present, the farm roads end at each village, leaving no direct connection between them.
However, a road linking Chidungkhar and Pasaphu would make travel easier for trade and business opportunities.
“If the new route is constructed, it will reduce the travel time by two to three hours for Kangpar villagers travelling to Samdrup Jongkhar for business activities. It will also make it easier for people from this area to visit the Chenla Ney holy site,” said Dorji Thinley, a resident, Chidungkhar, Samdrup Jongkhar.
“If we have to travel to Trashigang or Monggar during a medical emergency, we won’t need to go through Narphung, which takes more time. If we get a road from here, it will be faster and will also benefit both Gomdar and Kangpar Gewogs in terms of business,” said Pema Chador, another resident, Chidungkhar, Samdrup Jongkhar.
“Because our area is remote, it’s difficult for us to sell our agricultural produce. If the new road is constructed, we can easily take our produce to Kangpar and also buy their products in return,” said Dawa Tenzin, also a resident, Chidungkhar, Samdrup Jongkhar.
Better days are ahead for both communities as the Gomdar Gewog administration plans to construct a 1.5-kilometre road from Chidungkhar to Pasaphu village with more than Nu 1 M. Construction is expected to begin soon.
“We are again planning to propose the farm road in the next financial year. The road will be about five to six kilometres, and the gewog administration is planning to allocate a budget to continue the work. If the budget is not sufficient, we are hopeful that the government will support us,” said Karchung, Gomdar Gup, Samdrup Jongkhar.
A road connecting Chidungkhar and Pasaphu could benefit more than 1,000 households of Kangpar Gewog in Trashigang and Gomdar Gewog in Samdrup Jongkhar.
Kinley Wangchuk, Samdrup Jongkhar
Edited by Sonam Pem
