The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The Department of Road (DoR) under Ministry of Works and Human Settlement has started reflecting the name of the contractors on the plaque/ board after the completion of major construction projects. It has started with the completion of the bridge at Dhamdum in Samtse where the name of the Rigsar Construction was reflected as the Contractor.
Lyonpo Dorji Tshering said, “This system is new and the main intention of instituting the system is basically to give contractors ownership. Until now, the name of the contractors would be given until the end of construction and the name would be removed right after the construction.”
In addition, Lyonpo also said that it is also to encourage the contractors to do a better job and the system will give them the opportunity to be proud of their work which would further boost their energy towards better work quality.
“They would be careful with how they work because if they fail, they should understand that their reputation would be impacted. This system will be instituted henceforth but only in major projects. We hope this system will improve the quality of work,” Lyonpo added.
An official from DoR said that the name of the contractor was reflected on the board, as information, to let people know who has actually constructed the bridge.
“We felt that giving them (contractors) the credit would encourage them to further improve their quality of work. Moreover, people will know who did a good job and who did not. That way, the private contractors can build their image as well, and people will be benefited,” the official added.
In addition, he said that reflecting their name is also to maintain a record.
The names of the private contractors will be reflected in all major projects henceforth, the official said.
“With the opening of the bridge today, the communities of Samtse Dzongkhag will no longer be isolated during the monsoon, and marks a new chapter of social interaction,” the official added.
The completion of the 170 mts permanent bridge at Dhamdum, will benefit the people of ten gewogs to be connected irrespective of weather condition throughout the year.
The 240 ft Bailey bridge suffered a major damage in 2016, leaving the people disconnected or cut-off during the monsoon. Thereby, the people felt the need for a permanent bridge.
Therefore, the bridge was re-constructed with the funding support from Government of India (GoI) under the PTA scheme in the 12th Five Year Plan (FYP).
The total cost of the project is Nu 155.679 million (mn). DoR engaged Rigsar Construction and Gyaltshen Consultancy for design, and construction of the bridge at a contract amount of Nu 141.975 mn while the construction supervision contract was awarded to M/S Gayul Consultancy and design.
The bridge was inaugurated on 19 October by the Economic Affairs Minister, Loknath Sharma, six months before schedule and is now open to traffic.
