Tshering Namgyal | Lhuentse

Residents of Maedtsho gewog in Lhuntse are questioning the quality of their newly blacktopped gewog centre (GC) road between Gorgan and Silibi.

They said small potholes have already emerged in several locations as pebbles were washed away.

Villagers also said blacktopping standard was poor although they do not understand the technicalities of it.

A villager, Sangay, said gravels have already come out of the road between Sertsham Native Poultry and Heifers Production Center to Silibi bridge area although it’s been only a few months after the blacktopping work was carried out.

“The work is poorly done and the contractor should redo the work. We have no knowledge about the standards, but ordinary people like us know it is of poor quality.”

Zhongmaed tshogpa Tshewang Tenzin said potholes have appeared in some locations in the newly blacktopped road but the contractor would maintain it as the handing-taking is not done by the gewog.

He added that even the 20kms stretch of GC road between Silibi-Maedtsho that was blacktopped in 2019 has been damaged at five to six locations with more than 20 potholes.

According to the tshogpa, the road condition worsened after the excavator hired for ongoing land management work drove through the road between Pangshing and Obi in Zhongmey chiwog.

“The quality of the road should be monitored,” he said.

Maedtsho Gup and the dzongkhag tshogdu thrizin, Gembo, said the gewog administration would wait and see the situation of the road for some time.

“We haven’t reported the matter to any relevant authority expecting the Department of Roads would hand it over to us in good condition. But if the road is in a condition that requires maintenance, we will not be taking over the road,” he said.

Meanwhile, the DoR officials have asked the contractor to maintain the defects before handing over the road to the gewog administration in November.

“A few stretches were worn out and the contractor has agreed to rectify it after the monsoon,” DoR’s chief engineer in Lingmethang, Kinzang Dorji, said.

The contract work of 12kms stretch between Gorgan-Silibi was awarded to the local contractor at Nu 48 million and was completed in November last year.