Nima | Gelephu

With the blacktopping of Chhuzom gewog centre (GC) road expected to complete this winter, all GC roads in Sarpang would be blacktopped.

Considered as one of the most remote gewogs in Sarpang, people from Chhuzom remained cut off from the rest of the dzongkhags during monsoon.

Despite having huge potential to grow vegetables on a commercial-scale, farmers could not market because of unreliable road connections.

Farmers, who depended on cardamom as their main source of income, are now growing vegetables.

The gewog gup, Bishu Prasad Rai, said improved road condition would reduce transportation cost of farmers while selling their farm produce.

He said internal road would help vegetable collection for a youth group engaged in vegetable marketing.

According to the gup, it was challenging to have a reliable road connection because of the landscape and the monsoon. “We are blacktopping for the first time and since most roads are built closer to streams, erosion and flash floods are common.”

Bishnu Prasad Rai the blacktopping and widening of some GC road stretch would be carried out in three different packages with Nu 58 million this year.

Chhuzom is about 60 kilometres away from Sarpang and it takes more than three hours to reach the gewog centre.

Local residents say it would be difficult to have a reliable road connection in Chhuzom because of the steep gradient and heavy monsoon.

A 38-year-old driver from Chhuzom, Dorji, said blacktopping GC road would reduce vehicle maintenance. “Vehicles experience a frequent breakdown and it’s difficult during summer.”

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