Connectivity: Roads has changed Dophuchen (Dorokha) altogether. It is no longer a remote village hidden in the folds of deep jungles.

The 55-kilometre highway that links Dophuchen to Samtse has come as a boon to the village.

The village had to wait for several decades. But the road is here today that has already started giving a different socioeconomic face to the village.

In 2010, the road from Samtse was taken to Dophuchen. Vehicles could go up to Sangoori to drop shoppers.

“My backbone finally got rest,” a 70-year-old Leela Ram Adhikari said, recalling that it used to take villagers three horrendous days to reach Samtse. “Dorokha has become a heaven.”

The coming of the road has brought in some visible changes. Many people have left Dophuchen for better. People come only to get their share of paddy harvest in winter. They have left their land.

A 27-year-old shopkeeper, Damanti Rai of Namchu village, recalls the time people had to cross the Dhamdum Khola 36 times.

“Those were the times when students used to study using kerosene lamps,” the shopkeeper said. Now there is electricity too.

Seven years ago, Pemba Tamang came to start his career in this secluded settlement with a lot of hope.

“That hope has turned to reality,” said Pemba, who works at the Dungkhag Court.

Sherab Dorji, 60, originally from Haa, settled in Dophuchen 30 years ago. He used to pay about Nu 10 horse charge while going up and down the village.

“During summer, it took us more than a week to reach home,” he said. “There would be hundreds of horses carrying home item from Samtse.”

Sherab Dorji is today a proud owner of a bolero pickup. Like Sherab, many farmers in Dophuchen own bolero pickup trucks. There are about 80 boleros in the village.

Tandi Tshering, 32, is from Denchukha. He sold all his horses when the road came to the village.

The road has come to this village but about 25km stretch from Halhaley to Dophuchen needs to be blacktopped. The work is progressing.

Rajesh Rai, Dophuchen 

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