Commuters and residents in Monggar are upset about the bad road conditions along the Shermung Gewog Centre Road. They say that the road urgently needs maintenance and some areas require resurfacing. People are frustrated as the current road condition forces them to frequently repair their cars, adding an extra financial burden. Addressing the concerns, the Gewog administration assured that the maintenance work will be carried out within this year.
The Shermung Gewog centre road, covering a little less than 18 kilometres from Yadi along the Monggar-Samdrupjongkhar Highway, is currently in poor condition. The road is filled with potholes and the blacktop is wearing off, indicating an urgent need for maintenance.
Specifically, the stretch that lies between the workshop area at Yadi and Nyamaed is in bad condition. The drainage system is inadequate, leading to water flooding the road and further deteriorating its condition.
The residents BBS talked to expressed concerns about the road and emphasized the need for blacktopping in certain areas.
‘‘The road ahead is really in a bad condition. About four kilometres of the stretch is filled with potholes, causing our cars to hit the bottom and requiring frequent repairs. This is making it challenging for us to maintain our vehicles,” said Yeshi Dorji, a commuter.
‘‘The road has been in poor condition for a while and sadly no maintenance has been done so far. We would be grateful if the road could be maintained. The stretch from here to Shermung has particularly bad road conditions. The blacktopping is not good and it especially causes problems for small cars during travel,” said Nidup, another commuter.
Sherimung gup, Dorji said that the road was initially damaged during the construction of a farm road in another gewog. And the damage worsened over time due to the project extension.
Although the maintenance was planned last year, the gewog could not execute the maintenance due to insufficient budget.
The Gup added that the government allocates Nu 30,000 per kilometre annually for maintenance work which is insufficient.
To address this, the gewog is planning to allocate an additional budget from the gewog’s fund and carry out the maintenance within this year.
‘‘About 10 per cent of the GC road from Yadi to Gewog Centre office is damaged. We have discussed with the district engineer about getting it fixed. It is not just a plan, we are going to start the maintenance this year.’’
The Department of Surface Transport blacktopped the road in 2015 and handed it over to the Gewog administration a few years ago.
The Shermung GC road benefits about 800 households in Shermung, Balam, and Ngatshang Gewogs. The road is also used by the people of Dramedtse Gewog.
Karma Wangdi, Monggar
Edited by Sonam Pem
