Transportation: The Trongsa-Zhemgang highway will remain closed for a few more days as the roadblock at Dzongkhalum has not been cleared.

Dzongkhalum is about 11 kilometres from Trongsa town towards Zhemgang.

There was no rainfall for two days till yesterday and people at the worksite took advantage of the good weather. Excavators were deployed to clear the debris.

A worker at the site said boulder landslides occur frequently. “We have been lucky no one got hurt so far.”

The nearby villagers take an ancient trail to cross to the other side. But the trail too has becoming risky with loose mud.

Some people have started to blame the management of Mangdechhu hydroelectric project authority (MHPA).

“The road was stable and there was no such problems before,” said a traveller. “The widening work carried out by the project damaged everything.”

As an alternative, the project has allowed vehicles to ply through its Adit 1 and 2 tunnels. The tunnels are open for traffic twice a day.

But a driver said that driving through the tunnel is risky too. “We can’t see the surface of the road in the tunnel and between stretches too much water has accumulated.”

MHPA is widening the road at Dzongkhalum to transport heavy electrical machinery. Road widening started  in December last year and is scheduled to be completed by March 15, 2017.

Nima Wangdi | Trongsa

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