Nearly a year after it was newly built, the Tralang suspended bridge at Tang Gewog in Bumthang started crumbling. However, much to the relief of villagers, it has now been repaired. The restored bridge allows villagers to take their cattle for grazing on the other side of the river and engage in agricultural activities. According to villagers, poor workmanship and marshy areas rendered the bridge unstable. One of its walls fell apart in February this year.
After the wall collapsed, the bridge, serving the people of Naruth, Sarmaed, Tralang, and neighbouring villages underwent a three-month closure for repair.
During this period, the villagers had to use alternative bridges in the area, having to take a six-kilometre detour to reach their fields.
“When the wall collapsed, it caused a lot of inconvenience. We have our land on the other side, and we couldn’t take our cattle there to graze. Since the bridge has been repaired, it has been very beneficial to us. Now, we can carry on with our works as usual,” said Sangay Tobgye, a villager.
“They maintained the bridge repeatedly after the district administration contracted out the works to a private individual. Now, both people and cattle can cross the bridge,” said Dorji Tshomo, another villager.
The repair works including the wall construction and fixing the suspender cables were done after spending around Nu 300,000. Suspender cables are the main anchoring part of such bridges.
However, amidst the repair works, concerns have arisen as small cracks have started forming on the bridge again. Villagers have voiced their concerns as it is risky to cross the bridge, especially during the summer when the river swells.
“It’s very risky for us during the summer when the river swells. We have to cross the bridge with cattle, and if the bridge collapses, there is no way we can escape. If we use the other two bridges, it would take around six kilometres just to reach the other side. We would have to cross it even if it’s risky,” said Rinchen, a villager.
However, Tang Gup said that the bridge collapsing again is highly unlikely. The Gup added that he had not received any complaints from the villagers about the cracks.
The suspended bridge was built around two years ago with a budget of Nu 3 M.
The construction of the bridge was executed by the district administration as “departmental work.”
Karma Samten Wangda
Edited by Tshering Zam
