Commuters along the Chagzam-Doksum road between Trashigang and Trashi Yangtse are disappointed with the bad road condition. Despite being a primary national highway, the 15-kilometre stretch of road between Chagzam and Doksum is not yet completely blacktopped. Since the blacktopping works began in 2016, only around three kilometres had been blacktopped so far.
Almost all the road network in Trashi Yangtse including the gewog centre roads are blacktopped. But some portion of the highway between Chagzam and Doksum are left without blacktopping. This has become an issue for the commuters. The portion of the road without blacktop becomes dusty during the dry winter season and turns muddy and slippery during the summer. Driving across the bumpy road is also incurring extra expenditure on vehicle maintenance for the commuters.
“Driving through the bumpy road damages our car,” said Dorji Duba.
“Even our gewog centre road is blacktopped. But the portion of the main road is left without blacktop. I have little idea if it is because there is no budget or for some other reasons. But it has been this way for long now,” added Ngidup Dorji.
Trashigang regional road office carried out the blacktopping of the three-kilometre stretch after acquiring budget from the ministry. The office has received a budget of Nu 20 M which will be used to blacktop one-kilometre stretch of the remaining portion of the road from this month. This means the blacktopping of the remaining close to 11 kilometres of the road will depend on the budget the ministry will release in the next financial year.
Sonam Darjay
