There is a general consensus among the public that the failure to get the nine-year-old girl to the Gelephu regional hospital cost her life. There is anger, sympathy, and questions as to why a young girl should lose her life in a roadblock. The girl died at the roadblock site while waiting for the road to be cleared.

It was a tragic incident even if all efforts were explored to get her to the hospital. What could have been done? The answers are in the suggestion or the public uproar after the incident. Many are calling for a bypass, even tunnelling. It is, however, not a case of becoming wiser after an event. There were warnings and signs that something like the July 7 tragic event was waiting to happen. This is because the notorious Boxcut – about 15 kilometres away from Gelephu on the Sarpang-Trongsa highway – has been a nuisance to travellers, if not a threat to lives for many years.

The stretch, including at Aieslip and Ossey, along the same highway, are a highlight of the surface transport department’s alert on roadblocks in the country every monsoon. It is peak monsoon season in the country and not at all surprising that the area could slip or box in after a brief downpour.

What is surprising is that despite knowing the conditions of the stretch and the geological condition of the area, we are still exploring an alternative. The cost of keeping the stretch or the Gelephu-Trongsa highway open is so high that many are convinced it could easily build an alternative. 

The figures are there to make decisions. The government spends about Nu 2 million every three months during the monsoon season for road clearance at Boxcut. Since 2019, it has reached Nu 20 million. A bypass via the Tshachhu area and the opposite side of the river was explored, but there are doubts if it could solve the issue.

The highway could become busier in the coming years with Gelephu designated as a Special Administrative Zone and a plan to become the world’s first  Mindful City. Increasing traffic could worsen the condition of the road.

The surface transport department has announced an emergency route guidance on social media advising travellers to take the one-kilometre alternate route from Serkem to Tsachhu Choeten. This is a temporary arrangement if not a desperate attempt to find solutions.

Longer term solution needs to be explored and explored fast. Whether it is a stable bypass or tunnelling a safe and secure alternative, it is time we find a solution. If the death of an innocent child because of the road block cannot convince us, nothing will. If geological conditions are not suitable, we are beginning to experience freak weather conditions that endanger roads located in our fragile mountains.