Nim Dorji & Choki Wangmo | Trongsa

Residents of Korphu gewog in Trongsa do not have a happy story about their gewog centre road (GC).

People of the 218 households waited for many years to connect with the farm road, which had to change alignment. Then they waited for a bridge over Mangdechu, as the bridge got washed away. Now the villagers have waited for more than four years to have the 19.5kms GC road blacktopped.

They have now been told that the blacktopping would complete next month if everything goes as planned.

The GC road starts from Wangdigang on the Trongsa-Zhemgang national highway till Korphu GC.

With the former contractor, who was awarded the blacktopping works terminated last year, Druk Samdrup Private Limited is executing the work these days. The blacktopping works worth Nu 35.7M was awarded beginning this year and is expected to be completed by January next year.

Work includes construction of drains, base course, and blacktopping.

The contractor said the drain construction is almost completed.

He said the nationwide lockdown in August and labourers leaving the country impact the work progress. “We started to hire villagers and all the required machinery have already reached the site.”

Residents are impatient.

Korphu tshogpa Pema Gyeltshen said they are hoping the GC road blacktopping to complete on time this year.

Tashi from Korphu said three construction firms were changed for the same road without any progress in the last four years. “If the work is carried out as planned, it will benefit us.”

Zektu said that the road, which was expected to be completed in two years took more than four years. “I think there is a huge budget allocated for this blacktopping works.”

He said that delays in work and bad roads caused villagers time and resources.

Tashi Peljor from Nabji said that people had complained to the gewog administration.

The contractor said the delay was caused due to bad weather in summer and lack of labourers in winter. “The project completion period is near but the work has no progress.”

Kuensel found that excavators and dumper trucks were deployed at site. Drains were built at certain stretches.

Last month, the officials from the dzongkhag administration said that they would inspect the work progress and will take necessary action if there is no progress.

The blacktopping of Korphu GC road started in April 2016. Korphu is the only gewog in Trongsa which do not have blacktopped GC road.