After much discussion, the Department of Surface Transport has decided not to blacktop the Gewog Centre road from Dakpel to Buli in Zhemgang this financial year. Instead, the department has prioritised the development of the Buli-Nimshong Gewog Centre road, which connects Bardo and Shingkhar Gewogs. However, motorists and commuters travelling along the Dakpel–Buli road are unhappy with its poor condition.
The gewog centre road between Dakpel and Buli has worsened with deep potholes and severe damages caused by the monsoon rain.
Small cars can no longer use the road. Although it was blacktopped six years ago, no major repairs have been done since.
Motorists are urging that at least potholes could be fixed to prevent potential risks for travellers.
“This road has become a lot worse. It’s not just small vehicles, even Bolero pickup trucks are struggling. It’s especially dangerous at night because the potholes get filled with water, making it hard to see what’s underneath which causes our vehicles to hit rocks from beneath,” said Sonam Tshering, a resident of Shingkhar Gewog.
“The present government has pledged to maintain our roads, and we hope they will act accordingly. However, the situation is dire, potholes need to be filled up and compacted using a roller, so that commuters get a temporary relief,” said Sangay Dorji, a resident of Tali, Nangkor Gewog.
“We have been informed that the government will be resurfacing our road. However, at the moment, I would appreciate it if they could fill up the large potholes. This would greatly benefit us. Due to the poor road condition, we are facing difficulties doing business here. We have been greatly affected by the condition of the road,” said Jigme Lhendup, another resident of Tali, Nangkor Gewog.
Residents said that unlike other Gewog Centre roads, the Dakpel-Buli road has been damaged by heavy vehicles and rainfall with no maintenance since it was handed over to the gewog administration.
Officials from the Department of Surface Transport’s regional office in Tingitbi said it has only been two months since the they took over the management of the Gewog Centre roads from the gewog administrations. They are currently working on resurfacing the roads in phases as planned.
For the Dakpel-Buli Gewog Centre road, large potholes are being temporarily filled with good quality materials. An official said that the road will be fully resurfaced next year with the allocated budget.
The Dakpel-Buli Gewog Centre road is a crucial route, connecting three gewogs in upper Zhemgang to the rest of the gewogs in the district.
The 36-kilometre road was constructed in 1994 as the first farm road in the district.
Pema Samdrup, Zhemgang
Edited by Sonam Pem
