The 17-kilometre long Norgaygang Gewog Centre road in Samtse benefits over 600 households. However, since the completion of the road in 2017, it has not seen much maintenance works. With a limited budget and the road being very long, the gewog administration is not able to maintain the road.
The road is blacktopped but it is riddled with potholes. Today, light vehicles can use it but with much difficulty. The situation gets worse during the monsoon.
According to the gewog administration, they have been carrying out a few minor maintenance works. However, unlike other gewog centre roads, the 17-kilometre Norgaygang road is too long for the gewog to maintain.
During the recent dzongkhag tshogdu, the gewog requested the Department of Roads to take over the ownership of the road from the district.
“We don’t know exactly who looks after the Norgaygang Gewog centre road. The gewog administration does not have the budget to maintain the road since the gewog has to look after other developmental activities in the gewog. If the road can be given back to the department of roads, it will benefit the residents here to have a better road. For now, we cannot do the maintenance works because the road is very long,” said Goley, the Mangmi of Norgaygang Gewog.
But Deo Prasad Subba, the Project Manager from the Department of Roads said, “We handed over the gewog centre road to the district in 2019 and I don’t think we can take over the road once again since handing over all gewog centre roads to the local government was the government’s decision. We don’t have the right to take it back. I think it should be decided by the Works and Human Settlement Ministry.”
The Dzongkhag Tshogdu decided to write to the ministry. The cabinet decided to return all 205 gewog centre roads to the gewogs in 2019 to strengthen the local government by taking ownership of respective gewog centre roads. The ministry said the ministry is mandated to take care of only national highways.
Passang Dorji, Samtse
Edited by Tandin Phuntsho
