Education minster, Norbu Wangchuk, inaugurated the first petroleum oil and lubricants (POL) station of regional farm machinery corporation limited (FMCL) in Udzorong, Trashigang on July 18.

Located at Zangorma under Barkazor-Menkhar chiwog, the POL station will help in distribution and sale of petroleum products such as petrol and diesel, LPG gas cylinders including spare parts of farm machines and farm tools.

Chiwog tshogpa, Tenzin Dorji, said that without such facility, people in the gewog had to travel more than 70km to Trashigang to refuel their vehicles. “It was an expensive affair for the residents as they had to travel to Trashigang at least once every week to refuel.”

One of the residents, Tshomo, said that although majority of the households in the gewog uses electricity and firewood for cooking purposes, it would be more convenient to have LPG as a substitute. “It would prove helpful especially during electricity outage in the village.”

Some 68 households in the gewog were distributed LPG cylinders during the inauguration. Tenzin Dorji said that the regional trade office in Mongar is working on providing all the households with the LPG cylinder cards.

It was learnt that the POL station was one of the pledges the education minister had made to the people of the gewog.

The regional FMCL office in Khangma, Kanglung will operate the station.

Regional manager with the office, Leki Dung, said that three more PoL stations are in the pipeline for Trashigang dzongkhag. “We’ve completed the construction works at Kangpara gewog and it would be inaugurated soon.”

Merak and Thrimshing gewogs would also have a station each. The station at Udzorong was constructed at a cost of Nu 0.3M.

Younten Tshedup | Udzorong