Weather conditions too disrupt work progress on connector to Laya

Farm road: Tremors of the recent earthquake in Nepal triggered boulders to roll down and damage an excavator that was working on the farm road construction between Gasa and Tongchudrak in Laya.

The boulders rolled on to the excavator at a place called Chamsachu, just as continuous rainfall and extreme weather condition was hampering work progress.  Work to construct the 26km farm road to connect one of the country’s most remote gewogs, Laya, started in December 2012.

Site engineer with Laya farm road, Karma, said in the first stage, they completed constructing 10km of road from Gasa Ta-dzong until Laptshawom in 2014.  In the second phase, they have completed two kilometres from Laptshawom until Chamsachu.

He said, although the work was expected to complete by next year, they were doubtful, given the extreme weather condition in winter and continuous rainfall in summer. “On an average, we can work for only about three months a year without any disruption,” the site engineer said.

Karma said the labour shortage and high labour charges due to high inflation in Gasa were other challenges the work was faced with. Another excavator has been deployed at the site to continue the works.

Laya gup, Kinley Dorji, said although the farm road construction was taking time to complete and had reached only half way, the people of Laya were already benefitting.

“People can now drive from Gasa until Chumsachu, which helps reduce about four hours of walking distance,” the gup said. “The number of days to travel between Gasa and Laya has reduced ever since the construction completed its first phase.”

The farm road, built at a cost of more than Nu 7M would benefit 209 households of Laya gewog.

By Dawa Gyelmo, Wangdue

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