Despite being part of Pema Gatshel-Nganglam secondary highway, the stretch between Khothagpa-Maendi has remained without blacktopping. Having waited for quite long enough, local people are now calling for action from the government’s side.
Cleared more than a decade ago, the Khothagpa–Maendi farm road fell within the secondary highway, after the highway opened to traffic in 2015.
Today, people of Khar village are affected the most by the poor road condition. They say, with no blacktopping and many vehicles using the road, they have to deal with dust pollution every day.
“Even the vegetables we grow are covered in dust. It is no use washing clothes as it becomes dirty as soon as we dry it. The dust from the road enters our houses making it difficult to maintain hygiene. If we don’t sprinkle water from time to time, then we will not be able not to eat the vegetables from our garden,” said Deki Lhamo, from Khar Gewog in Pema Gatshel.
“It has been years since the road was first cleared. Its condition is worsening by the year. The dust pollution creates a lot of problem for the people, animal and crops here,” shares Mindu Wangdi, from Khar Gewog in Pema Gatshel.
“The dust from the road is a nuisance. If we don’t clean regularly, the dust would pile as thick as an inch,” added Lhawang Thinley, also from the same gewog.
The inconvenience the bare road causes is no different for the commuters.
“Being a highway, a lot of heavy vehicles use the road. When thick clouds of dust are blown, visibility becomes poor. There are chances of accidents. At times, the body of our vehicles gets hit which leads to oil leaks. The tires also get damaged,” said Tashi Dawa, from Khar Gewog.
The matter was discussed at the recent Dzongkhag Tshogdu as well. The House decided to write to the Works and Human Settlement Ministry requesting for blacktopping of the Khothagpa–Maendi farm road.
“There are more than three public buses using the road. Some commuters even post on social media regarding the road’s poor condition. The posts ask many questions as to who is responsible. We once heard of a plan to blacktop the road,” said Tharchen, the Mangmi for Dungmaed Gewog.
“People of five chiwogs have to deal with dust pollution from the road. Most officials use the gewog centre road but for those of us using the stretch in question, we know how the situation is. Those working in the capital may not know of our plight. Therefore, it would benefit our people if we submit this issue as an agenda to be discussed at the Parliament,” said Ngajay Dorji, the Khar Gup.
Officials from the Department of Roads in Pema Gatshel said the office has already submitted cost estimation for the blacktopping works to its parent ministry. Although it is not sure when the works will commence, they are hopeful of its approval at the earliest.
Meanwhile, some parts of Pema Gatshel–Nganglam secondary highway from Pema Gatshel side remain blacktopped only because it falls under the Gewog Center roads.
Thinley Dorji
