Local leaders of Dagana are not happy with the progress of the road improvement works along the Dagapela-Sunkosh secondary national highway. They said the prolonged maintenance works have worsened the road’s condition. The issue was one of the most extensively deliberated topics during the recent Dzongkhag Tshogdu.
According to the local leaders, although the works began almost a year ago, the progress is slow. They said the maintenance works need to speed up so the road can be blacktopped before the onset of the monsoon.
Karna Mangmi Sangay said, “the road condition is now becoming worse compared to last year. The workers involved in the road improvement works keep on digging holes along the road and don’t fill it up immediately. Moreover, we don’t see any labourer carrying out the road improvement works seriously.”
“I personally requested the site engineer to speed up the blacktopping works since monsoon is just a few months away. But I am told that the concerned contractor is still stranded in Gelegphu due shortage of quarantine facility. It has been almost four months now but I don’t know why the contractor didn’t get a quarantine facility while it is not an issue for many coming to Dagana,” added Tsenda-Gang Gup Bal Bahadur Rana.
Some local leaders said the contractors should deploy more labourers to complete the works at the earliest.
“I saw only a handful of labourers working along the Sunkosh-Dagapela road. It would be beneficial if the contractors could recruit more workers to complete blacktopping works within the next one to two months,” said Tsangkha Gup Tawla.
“Monsoon is almost near but the contractors are still working on the drainage. Blacktopping work is yet to start. It will be hampered once monsoon starts,” added Tashiding Gup Namgay Pelden.
The Dzongkhag Tshogdu’s Chairperson, Lhawang Dorji said the local leaders need to submit the Dzongkhag Tshogdu’s resolution to the Works and Human Settlement Ministry for necessary interventions.
“The road should benefit Dagana and its people since it is the district’s highway. The slow work progress must be because the stretch is being taken care of by the DoR office in Tsirang. The office must be having a difficult time inspecting the sites efficiently due to the distance.”
The Department of Roads’ sub-division office in Tsirang took over the works to improve the 44-kilometre stretch of the road in July last year. The office is carrying out the improvement works in two packages. Around 40 per cent of the works are complete as of today and the dzongkhag sub-division office is confident about completing the works as scheduled.
“Due to the pandemic, the contractors are having a tough time in getting labourers from India. But we have been in close contact with the contractors and we are monitoring the works. Their contract duration is till June this year but due to the nationwide lockdown and roadblocks the last monsoon, the contract duration is extended till the end of August. We are expecting to complete the road improvement works without missing the deadline,” said Arjun Bdr. Katwal, an assistant engineer with the road department’s sub-division office in Tsirang
He added that the blacktopping works might get slightly delayed if monsoon affects the blacktopping works.
Meanwhile, the commuters are enjoying a smooth ride between Dagapela and the Dagana Dzong after the DoR’s sub-division office in Tsenda-Gang completed the blacktopping works of the seven-kilometre stretch in February this year.
Pema Tshewang, Dagana
