The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Although the feasibility survey was done for 26 kms the Layaps will get only 10 kms of road for this financial year.
A Junior Engineer under the Dzongkhag Engineering Section, Karma said that the construction of the road is funded by the Indian Government (GoI) and the financial year for 10th Five Year Plan (FYP) is almost closing.
However for the 11th FYP, rest of the road construction will be continued, said the junior engineer. For the road construction detail survey was not taken out.
“Due to limited capable engineers in the Dzongkhag only alignment survey for the road construction was done,” said Karma.
At the moment the road construction for 1.5km of road is completed and the work is still going on.
Engineer Karma said that the work was supposed to start on 18 December 2012, but they could commence the work on 1 January this year after going through Zakar.
In its earlier media report The Bhutanese reported that the road would take off from Gasa Dzong. Layaps will be connected with road till Trongshu drak, a three hour walk from Laya.
However they were not happy since they aspired to connect Laya community from the Gasa Hot springs.
Gewog Gup Kinley Dorji in his earlier interview said that it was people’s desire to have their road from Gasa Tshachu area since it will be shorter by three to four kilometers and would consume less time.
He added that among 180 households, one voted to take up the road from Gasa dzong.
However, the report from the Ministry of Works and Human Settlement (MoWHS) states that the road will definitely take off from Gasa Dzong terminal point.
According to the earlier interview with junior engineer Karma, the road cannot take off from that area since it falls under Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Park (JDWNP), water source for Takin (National animal), and hampers the source of Gasa Tshachu and moreover it’s a landslide-prone area.
And in total contrast to the Gup’s statement, he said the road from the Tshachu area will add up more kilometers and would have more turns and twists.
Even Gasa Dzongrab, Tshewang Jurmi said that it’s not feasible to take off the road from their desired point. Moreover, the road needs many cuttings, which would be risk-oriented.
“In the name of hindering the pristine environment, the dzongkhag officials are not granting the permission to take off the road from where we desire, we who are the ones to use and ply on the road,” said Gup Kinley Dorji.
Initially, in the 53rd session of Dzongkhag Yargay Tshogchung (DYT) the officials were willing to take off the road from Tshachu area. Now the Dzongkhag is planning to take off road from Gasa dzong since the officials’ fears not to get environmental clearance.
The budget allotted for the 26 km road is more than Nu 10 million (1crore and 30 lakhs).
The construction of 10 kms of the road will be completed by June and for the 11th FYP, road construction would be completed.
