With direct motorable access to the market, the remote village of Bai Kuenza in Bongo Gewog of Chhukha is finally developing like any other village in the country. Just three years ago, ropeway used to be the lifeline for them.
A green hamlet, Bai-Kuenza is located on a gentle slope with scattered houses. The village remained isolated without a motor road or a bridge over the raging Wangchhu River- that separates the village from the rest of the villages in the gewog. They had a ropeway to cross the river but it takes three hours of a steep climb to reach the village.
However, life has changed for the better now. While a suspension bridge replaced the ropeway a few years ago, the village also got a farm road last year. And few villagers already own vehicles.
“Our fertile land gives us all kinds of fruits and vegetables. The bountiful harvest always goes to waste even after feeding our livestock. We had to often throw it away as it used to rot due to excess production. However, since last year, we could sell our produce. People come driving here to purchase them,” said Sonam Dorji, from Bai Kuenza.
“Earlier when we didn’t have the road, we had struggled a lot. We didn’t even have a bridge to connect our village. We risk our lives to reach our village because of falling boulders along the steep cliffs. It was also hard to find people to carry our loads. So, life here has changed drastically,” added Namgay, from the same village.
However, they could not reap the full benefits of having a road. Landslides and falling boulders blocked their new road last monsoon.
“The government has been taking care of us until now. We shall remain ever grateful if the road here is further developed. Road connectivity is the only means to improve our livelihood in the rural area,” said Serchung, from Bai Kuenza.
But they can again look forward to better days ahead. The Dzongkhag is maintaining the road by constructing walls along the slide-prone areas to make the road stable. According to the planning officer of the district, the district has sanctioned Nu 50 M for this project to make the road stable round the season.
The construction of the 11-kilometre farm road began in 2017.
Sonam Penjor, Chhukha
