Roads: The Gewog Centre (GC) road blacktopping works in Zhemgang are on track while some are still under construction. Blacktopping of the GC roads in Nangkor in Buli and Goshing are currently being carried out.

Departments of Roads Tingtingbi chief engineer, Karma Dorji, said 80 percent of permanent works along the 36km Dhakphai-Buli road is complete. He said 2.5km of the road has already been blacktopped, while the base course has been laid on 20 kilometres.

Karma Dorji said work progress may not seem like it is on track because the contractor started with additional works first.

“The contract period was initially supposed to have been completed by December 2016 but got extended till December 2017 due to the additional works they were given,” he said.

The contractor was made to carry out additional road surface cutting along the road.

Likewise, blacktopping of the Goshing GC road is also on track. Eighty percent of permanent works like cross drainage is completed and blacktopping will begin soon.

“Blacktopping of the 8.2km GC road was awarded on July this year and was supposed to be completed by April 2017,” Karma Dorji said.

Phangkhar was the only gewog that did not require blacktopping. The gewog is on the way to Panbang and it was already connected by road. Ngangla and the Trong GC roads have already been blacktopped.  “For Ngangla gewog 260 metres and for Trong gewog 360 metres have already been blacktopped,” Karma Dorji said.

Shingkhar received a GC road last September. It’s a little more than 30km from Nimshong while the Bjoka farm road is being improved with permanent works at the moment. However, the GC road will not be blacktopped in this fiscal year.

Karma Dorji said formation cutting for the Bardo GC road is going on and it is scheduled to be completed by April next year. “The contractor is left with about 5km,” he said.

Bardo gewog is 76km from Buli and it is the furthest gewog centre in Zhemgang.

Nima Wangdi | Dhakphai