Over a ten-kilometre stretch of the Punakha-Gasa Secondary National Highway is in poor condition, causing inconveniences for road users and vehicles. The road is riddled with potholes which damage vehicles and create dust during the dry season, affecting people living nearby. The residents are urging the authorities to carry out the necessary maintenance before the road deteriorates further.
The road has deteriorated, particularly from Kukuna to Panikong in Barsha-Panikong Chiwog of Khamaed Gewog.
This stretch is mostly used by the residents for transporting vegetables to the market in Punakha and travelling to the gewog and district offices in Gasa, along with other road users.
The road has been filled with potholes and deteriorating for years, posing a high risk of accidents and significantly increasing travel time.
Drivers say that the poor condition ends up damaging vehicles leading to costly repairs. Besides serving the locals, the road is also used by tourists and people heading to the Gasa hot spring.
“The road condition is getting worse with the continuous rain, leading to high maintenance costs for our vehicles. Potholes are visible all along the road and others are complaining too. Even taxis are charging higher fares because of the poor road conditions,” said Dorji, a resident of Gasa.
“We mostly travel between Tashithang and Goen Damji and we constantly face issues on the road. Sometimes, our vehicle’s springs get damaged due to the potholes. Additionally, it’s difficult to drive uphill with a load,” said Kinley Dorji, a resident of Barsha-Panikong, Khamed Gewog, Gasa.
“The road condition has become terrible. Hardly any travellers use this road because it is in a remote district. Even when the vehicles do travel here, they charge extremely high fares. People who do use this road often complain about how bad it is. We have also seen vehicles get damaged, even when driven carefully,” said Kinley Penjor, another resident of Barsha-Panikong, Khamaed Gewog, Gasa.
“I don’t own a vehicle, but when I travel in other’s cars, I see that taxis struggle to drive on the road. I have also noticed our neighbour’s vehicle getting damaged during their trips,” said Damcho Thinley, Barsha-Panikong Tshogpa, Khamaed Gewog, Gasa.
The chief engineer of the Surface Transport Regional Office in Lobesa said they had requested a budget from the government to blacktop the road in the first financial year of the 13th Five-Year Plan. However, the funds were not approved due to budget constraints.
The chief also mentioned plans to widen the highway as it does not meet the standards of a Secondary National Highway. However, he added, these plans will depend on the availability of the government budget.
Changa Dorji, Gasa
Edited by Sonam Pem
