The construction of Samrang- Jomotshangkha highway in Samdrup Jongkhar resumed on Sunday, after a gap of almost seven months. The project came to a halt since the Department of Roads (DoR) was directed to hand over the works to Project DANTAK and doing so, consumed much time.
Project DANTAK will clear the remaining 11 kilometres of the 58-kilometre stretch. Works will be executed from both ends and in two to three month’s time, the Project expects to make the road pliable. The DoR spent Nu 57 M to construct the first 47 kilometres.
Once the highway is complete, Jomotshangkha dungkhag will be connected to its district headquarter by an internal road link. It will also shorten the journey by 40 kilometres.
As of now, people travel 190 kilometres along the Indian highway to get to Samdrup Jongkhar.
Dawa Dorji Tamang, a resident of Jomotshangkha in Samdrup Jongkhar said using the Indian highway is not very convenient for Bhutanese travels. “At times, we have to spend a night or two along the road. Without an internal road, we were not able to sell our areca nut and cardamom harvests. Now, with the work resuming, I hope it completes at the earliest for our benefit,” he said.
Kuenga Wangpo, also from Jomotshangkha shares the inconvenience of not having an internal motorable road. “India is under lockdown and we do not have an internal road link. So, we are facing a lot of inconveniences. However, now, the clearing of Samrang-Jomotshangkha highway started again. Once it is complete, we can travel to the district headquarter without any risk,” he added.
Recently, the Works and Human Settlement Minister, along with a technical team, also inspected the road’s alignment. It took them two days to get to Jomotshangkha from Samrang.
According to the Minister, currently, around Nu 0.5bn is allocated for blacktopping the Samrang- Jomotshangkha highway and constructions of two major bridges in between. The department of roads will execute the works.
Kinley Wangchuk
