… gewog administration says construction will begin next year

Neten Dorji | Trashiyangtse

From the nearest road point at Laishum, residents of Larjab village have to walk four hours to get to their village.

Laishum-Larjab is the only chiwog in the gewog in Jamkhar gewog, Trashiyangtse without a road.

Residents buy basic necessities from Doksum and transport it on their back.

“Without road connectivity, it is difficult,” a resident, Sonam said.

A villager claimed that every time there is an election, the parties and candidates promise them a road.

“All political parties and local leaders pledged to connect our villages, but it is forgotten after the election,” a villager said.

A villager, Ugyenmo said when someone falls ill they have to carry patient on stretchers for more than two hours. “In a year, we have to carry about seven patients to the Jamkhar BHU.” 

She said, evacuating patients is difficult during monsoon season as they have to carry the patient down steep slippery slopes.

Villagers said that they had been requesting the gewog administration for the farm road since 2009. “We don’t understand why the government and gewog administration are holding the farm road.”

It was learnt that the survey for the road was conducted twice in the past 10 years to connect the chiwog to Ninda-Paachu chiwog which has a road.

Laishum-Larjab Tshogpa, Kota said that the need to connect Larjab with a farm road was discussed in the gewog tshogde.

Residents at Larjab said that their village is suitable to grow all crops. “People only grow potatoes for self-consumption, as it is difficult to take it to the market.”

Another villager said that they were growing varieties of vegetables but without a farm road, they only cultivated for self-consumption. Surplus potato and vegetable are given to livestock as fodder.

“More people are leaving the village and the number of empty households (gungtongs) is increasing,” Takchi,79, said. He said only old people are left at the village.

Residents claim that all other four chiwogs and villages were connected with farm roads, except for Laishum-Larjab chiwog.

Villagers said it could be because their village does not have a large number of voters.

Meanwhile, Jamkhar Gup, Karma Tshewang said that the gewog administration is not neglecting the chiwog.

“We are well aware of the problems and the road construction is expected to begin by the next financial year,” he said.

“A survey was done and the gewog administration is waiting to tender the works.”

The gup said the dzongkhag tshogdu has approved Nu 0.25 million from the dzongkhag development grants for the Laishum-Larjab farm road.