People residing in upper Tsento Gewog of Paro were all smiles when their farm road was blacktopped about a month ago. But today, these smiles have turned into frowns as the road condition at some stretches has started to deteriorate. The paved road also benefits the people of Soe and Lingzhi Gewogs in Thimphu.
The road from Drukgyel to Shana, which is more than 17 kilometres was constructed over a decade ago.
But blacktopping works over it began only last year. So far around 12 kilometres have been blacktopped while the remaining stretch will be worked on once the budget is allocated.
In the past, the road used to be muddy and filled with potholes during monsoon.
“The road is now benefitting us. Taxis are willing to travel along the road when we hire them. It is convenient for us to take our agricultural produce to town. Earlier it took one and a half hours to reach town but now it takes only less than an hour,” said Tashi, a resident.
“With the blacktopping of the road, we are able to drive smoothly now. Earlier, our vehicle used to get damaged due to the bumpy road. To sell vegetables, we can easily take them to the town. Moreover, it is convenient to restock the grocery as the road is smooth,” said Ugyen, a shopkeeper.
But villagers are worried as the blacktop has worn off in certain areas.
“We were very excited about the blacktopped road as we received the blacktop after many years. However, the condition of the road is worsening. The blacktop has worn off at some stretches and many potholes are appearing. It has not been even two months now,” said Chencho Gyeltshen, a resident.
“Although the road condition was improved after spending a lot of money, the quality of the blacktop is not good. We are unhappy with the road condition. We cannot blame the contractor because they might have done the work according to the budget that was allocated,” said Ugyen, a shopkeeper.
The villagers have lodged complaints to the gewog and district administrations, and the Department of Surface Transport.
According to the Gewog administration, the contractor has not handed over the road to the Gewog and it is still under liability period.
“The Department of Surface Transport told us not to take over the road for now. A letter from the department states that the road should be rectified. The rectification work could not be carried out immediately as there is continuous rainfall,” said Chencho Gyeltshen, Tsento Gup.
The letter from the Department of Surface Transport further states that the residents should take care of free flow and stagnant water along the drains.
The government has spent more than Nu 30 M for the blacktopping work.
Namgay Wangchuk, Paro
Edited by Tshering Zam
