Residents in Dumtey, Samtse are not happy with the gewog connectivity (GC) road condition, which because of poor maintenance has now turned muddy due to rain, making it difficult for vehicles to drive through.

A resident, Kush Bahadur Subba, who frequently travels between Samtse and Dumtey in his Bolero pickup, said the road is not in good condition.

“For the last two years, there has been minimal maintenance,” he said.

He also said that four-wheel drive vehicles could ply the Dumtey GC road. Department of Roads (DoR) workers were at the site last winter but they have left, he said.

Another resident who owns a bolero in Dumtey, Chitraman Rai said that some portions of roads have worsened due to soil eroding. It is muddy and difficult to drive, he said.

Dumtey gup Damber Singh Rai said people are travelling with difficulty.

“There is no management system for this GC road,” he said, adding that having a drain in some areas would be helpful to drain the rainwater that runs over the road.

The DoR maintains the GC road. Dumtey gewog office has also written to the department asking for their support in improving the road’s condition.

DoR, the gup said has informed them of not having the budget. “But roads should be maintained at least in those areas where the conditions are worse,” the gup said.

DoR’s executive engineer for Phuentsholing region EN Chhetri said that the roads department had taken over GC roads in 2015. Prior to this—GC roads were constructed and monitored by dzongkhag offices.

“Drain works and base course works for two kilometers (km) of stretch is ready,” EN Chhetri said.

However, he also said that the alignment of the road was not properly done. Due to this, the DoR had proposed about four km road stretch for realignment.

Dumtey GC road is 27.4km from Dorokha. It takes more than three hours to drive to Dumtey.

Rajesh Rai | Phuentsholing

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