What good is a public infrastructure if it doesn’t serve a purpose? Dagana has one such facility that remains idle. Once a vegetable market and now the bus terminal, it remains wasted, all for the need of a proper connecting road.
Constructed in 2018, the vegetable shed, located just below the town, was converted into a bus terminal sometime in 2020. However, after it was used for a few months, it remained idle. Seasonal water had excavated a stretch of the road near the terminal, making it difficult for the vehicles to pass through.
“The main problem is with the road leading to the bus terminal. It is very bad. There is not much problem entering the terminal, but we face problems while exiting it,” said Pema Wangchuk, one of the bus drivers.
Initially, the Road Safety and Transport Authority (RSTA) and the bus operators came to an agreement that parking and boarding will be done at the terminal, but with the bad road condition, the plan has failed.
And without options, bus drivers park their vehicles in the town. But this has also caused inconveniences to the residents.
With the already cramped town space and narrow road, residents said this crowds the road in the town, making it vulnerable for road accidents and casualties.
One of the residents Gyeltshen, said if nothing is done at the earliest, this will surely cause an accident one day.
“Especially, the school-going children are at risk. There haven’t been such cases so far, but if this continues, such mishaps will surely occur,” he added.
However, it seems maintenance works are already in the pipeline.
Sonam Jamtsho, the planning officer of the district administration said they are all set to commence to repair the road.
“We have allocated a budget in the present financial year for the road improvement works. We are expecting to start the works as soon as the monsoon is over,” he added.
The non-functioning bus terminal has also resulted in the negligence of other public facilities in the area such as the public toilet. Rusted potty, missing lid of potty, broken basins, they need either replacement of repair.
However, once the bus terminal is operational, the condition of the entire public structure in the area is expected to see a face-lift.
Once the terminal is functional, it will be a relief to three buses operating between Dagana and other districts and one local bus.
Pema Tshewang
Edited by Chayku
