Residents of Sarpang Tar want the district authority to expedite the construction of the drainage system in the area. They claim the drainage construction works have caused major damages to the road adding that the incomplete works poses risk for children in the area.
The road has developed potholes at several locations. It is a result of digging out a trench along the roadside to construct a five-kilometre drainage system.
“There is no gain for us taxi drivers. It consumes so much fuel to drive on such a road. The fuel price is very high already,” said Chandralal Gautam, a taxi driver in Sarpang Tar.
According to the residents, incomplete drainage construction works poses a greater risk for the children as works are left uncovered.
“The situation out here is very bad. The relevant government agencies and contractors responsible for this project would blame the pandemic for delaying the construction works. But it poses risk for the school children when works are left incomplete like this,” said Kado, a resident of Sarpang Tar.
The works to construct the five-kilometre drainage system started in December 2019. After missing the deadline in June this year, the dzongkhag authority extended the deadline by a year.
According to the dzongkhag engineer, the contractor could not complete the work on time due to labourer shortage amid the pandemic. The engineer said people will have to put up with the poor road condition and safety concerns until the monsoon season ends as it is not possible to carry out the road maintenance works during the rainy season.
Karma Wangdi, Sarpang
