The gewogs’ vast size and scattered settlement makes service delivery a challenging task, the gups informed the PM

Visit: Bifurcation of a gewog each from Bongo and Darla gewogs, admission of children in Pakshingkha Central School (PCS) from areas within five kilometres, and connecting Jemichu-Baikunza bridge were among the several issues Bongo gewog representatives raised to Lyonchoen Tshering Tobgay during his visit yesterday.

Bongo gup Tashi Dorji said it has become important that a separate gewog was created, as these two gewogs were huge, which made it difficult to render service.

“There are numerous challenges,” the gup said explaining the major problems came because there were few villages far from the gewog.

Toktogom village in Bongo, the gup said was five hours walk from Bjabcho gewog and is located entirely in a different location.

Today, people have to travel to Tshimasham and to Bjabcho to reach the walking point to Toktogom.

Zamsa, another village, also had similar problems. After 46km of drive from Pakshingkha, villagers have to today walk for about three hours to reach their homes in Zamsa.

Similarly, villagers from Bongo travel to Pipin from Darla for about 45km, and walk another five hours to reach Baikunza.

“Different routes to reach different villages make it difficult for us to meet often,” gup Tashi Dorji said.

Bongo and Darla gewog representatives had raised the issue in the Dzongkhag Tshogdu (DT). A separate gewog each from Bongo and Darla was proposed then but nothing has happened to date.

The two gewogs’ gups again raised this issue in the last DT in September this year. Gup Tashi Dorji said dzongkhag officials have submitted the matter to the government but they haven’t heard anything.

Lyonchoen Tshering Tobgay spoke to about 150 villagers at PCS on this issue.

“If this is benefiting, we will look at it,” he said, adding that the people should first discuss and consult within themselves. “It is not easy.”

However, lyonchoen also made it clear that people should not ask for extra gewog just to avail extra budget.

Bongo mangmi Sangay Dorji, meanwhile, raised the issue related to the PCS and admission of children from nearby villages.

However, he said that day-scholar students from these villages were not provided facilities the central school students avail today.

Lyonchoen said it has just been a year that central schools have started in the country.

“We are working very hard,” he said. “We have to go one after another and not at a time.”

Bongo gup told Kuensel there is an understanding at PCS that the children from poor families and living within five kilometers distance from the central school are deprived of admission, while children of financially well off parents from outside were allowed admission. There are about 30 children that fall under the five-kilometer range from the central school. “Their parents are all humble peasants,” the gup said.

Meanwhile, Lyonchoen also gave a green signal to the people’s request for a bridge at the Jemichu-Baikunza. “I will look at it myself,” he said.

A suspension bridge over Jemichu-Baikunza was cut lose in 2003 for security reasons and wasn’t reconstructed. Today, villagers of Baikunza use ropeway to cross the river.

Meanwhile, Lyonchoen Tshering Tobgay informed the villagers about becoming self-sufficient farmers. He spoke on the upcoming farm shops, gewog banking, and opportunities Business Opportunity and Information Centre offered to the public.

Rajesh Rai, Bongo