Commuters travelling along the Thimphu-Gelephu highway will soon enjoy improved roadside amenities. Tsirang District Administration is building two roadside recreational facilities that will serve travellers while creating new business opportunities for local communities. The project comes as traffic is expected to increase with the development of the Gelephu Mindfulness City.
Soon, travellers driving through Tsirang will have more than just a place to take a break.
Two roadside recreational facilities are under construction in Tsholingkhar and Patshaling gewogs. The facilities will offer safe and scenic stopovers where commuters can rest and buy fresh local produce directly from farmers.
At Gomsum Chiwog in Tsholingkhar Gewog, the Lungsigang Agro-Tourism Park is taking shape. It will include fruit orchards, landscaped gardens, eco-trails, a skywalk viewpoint, resting sheds and a traditional two-storey market with cold storage for locally certified products.
One of its main attractions will be a viewpoint overlooking the Sunkosh River, Sunkosh town, and parts of Drujeygang and Tsangkha gewogs in Dagana.
The project is estimated to cost about Nu 4.5 M. A local farmers’ group will manage the market shed at the park.
Meanwhile, work on the Kuchi Stream Recreational Facility in Patshaling Gewog is nearing completion.
Built with more than Nu 2 M from the Economic Stimulus Programme, the site features a streamside viewpoint, an artificial waterfall, a rock garden, picnic areas, seating spaces and public toilets. The facility has already been leased to a local resident under a Memorandum of Understanding.
According to the Tsirang Dzongda, the facilities will provide commuters with safe and convenient places to rest during long journeys. They are also expected to ease congestion at Rigsum Pemai Dumra in Damphu during busy periods such as Losar.
Local leaders and farmers say the highway recreational facilities will benefit both travellers and nearby communities. They say it will boost tourism and improve roadside services.
“If more people visit the recreational facility, we will be able to earn a better income. At the moment, selling vegetables and other agricultural produce doesn’t generate much income,” said Phub Zam, a resident of Gomsum in Tsholingkhar Gewog.
Another resident of Gomsum, Nim Tshering said,“The facility will benefit us a lot. Vegetables and fruits grow well here. We will also able to sell dairy products to visitors.”
Tsholingkhar Gup Passang Tamang said,“The facility will create employment opportunities for residents. Farmers will have a place to sell their fresh fruits and other farm produce. Currently, we don’t have such facilities in the nearby areas.”
“I think it will benefit us a lot. The highway commuters will have a place to rest and relax. At the same time, it will give us an opportunity to sell our farm produce,” said Passang Dolma Waiba, a resident of Thakorling Chiwog, Patshaling Gewog.
“We have never had such a facility in our area before. The facility will benefit us greatly. We will be able to sell our vegetables whenever travellers stop at the recreational facility,” said Nima Dolma Lama, also a resident of Thakorling Chiwog.
Patshaling Gup Chabi Kumar Rai said,“The facilities will help generate income for residents while providing a valuable service to travellers. A local resident will manage the facility. We have already selected the individual in accordance with the standard operating procedure. The operations will strictly follow the approved standard operating procedure.”
Once operational, the facilities will provide greater convenience and improved roadside amenities to thousands of commuters travelling to and from the Gelephu Mindfulness City. And this is just the beginning. More highway development projects are in the pipeline, including a major facelift of the Serutar stretch between Sunkosh and Burichhu along the Tsirang-Wangdue Phodrang highway.
Pema Tshewang, Tsirang
Edited by Sangay Chezom
