Lower Migkuri under Dungmaed Gewog in Pema Gatshel wears a look of the past. Crucial developmental activities have not blessed the community yet. People there still walk for almost an hour to the village from the nearest road point. They are now hoping for a farm road to see basic development in their village.
There are more than ten households and they have been living there for some three decades now.
The villagers there still rear cattle and grow various crops for survival. But transporting the farm produce is a challenge.
“If we get a farm road, our lives would become very comfortable. Today we have to carry everything on our back. We have to hire labourers and pay Nu 200 per day,” said Nidup Lhamo, from Migkuri under Dungmaed Gewog.
“If there is a road here, we would want to grow more vegetables. But today, we are not doing so, because transportation is a problem. Last year, I had to throw about ten baskets of radish since I could not carry it to the market,” added Deki Chezom, from the same village.
The local leaders hope to address the problem.
“People are saying the road would make it easy to transport construction materials and more people will settle here. They want to write to the gewog administration and I am thinking to submit it very soon,” said Thinley Jamtsho, the Tshogpa for Migkuri-Bangyuel chiwog.
“If they come with a proposal, we will survey accordingly and submit it to dzongkhag. The dzongkhag will submit it to the government for budget approval. Regarding the feeder roads and farm roads, the government has never opposed such activities. We are hoping the support will continue hereafter too,” said Ugyen Tshering, the Dungmaed Gup.
And till the formalities materialise into a road, people there have to still live in the past.
Thinley Dorji, Pema Gatshel
