Yangyel Lhaden

While daily commuters complain about the poorly maintained 200-metre-long rough road connecting Changangkha Middle Secondary School to the Thori lam, Thimphu Thromde officials said that the road was not built by them and it is an illegal road constructed.

Following complaints from commuters, the thromde clarified that the road was constructed for public convenience without authorisation from the thromde office.  “The office does not have allocated budget for maintenance,” the thromde stated in a press release shared on Facebook.

“We don’t know who constructed the road and who is liable for it,” a thromde official said. Currently, if commuters don’t use the 200-metre rough road, they have to take a long detour. 

The stretch of land where the road passes through belongs to both the public and the state.

Thimphu Thromde has been demolishing illegal structures constructed on state land. The thromde office issued a general notification on October 8, in 2021 to remove illegal structures in the city and began inspection from November 7, in 2021.

“Since the rough road is used by commuters to avoid detours, the road won’t be demolished before a concrete plan is put in place,” a thromde official said.

There are two proposed plans for the 200-meter-long stretch road in Changangkha. The thromde office will either construct a new road or maintain the present road.

According to the press release, considering the numerous complaints and concerns about the road, the thromde would close the road, and a new road would be constructed. The budget for the construction of the new road is included in the next financial plan, but the groundwork will begin very soon.

“If our proposal to construct infrastructure is approved, then a part of the land of the rough road would be utilised, and we would construct and maintain the current rough road,” a thromde official said.