Thromde will convert the existing two-lane road from the Bhutan Telecom Office junction to India House into a four-lane road, said the Thrompon Kinlay Dorjee.
He said that the 4 kilometers (km) four-lane road stretch is to be completed within a year’s time in May 2021.
“We have received a budget of Nu 150 million for this particular project. It is funded by the Government of India (GoI),” the Thrompon said.
Meanwhile, Thromde is about to complete the sewerage line and water line in the area and road widening work is to start soon.
“We are constructing the sewerage line because once we start black topping the road, if the sewerage line is not built at the initial stage, then we will have to dismantle the road and construct the sewage, which will create more damage,” he said.
He said that the base course work on the road is to start after the completion of the sewerage line.
“The work which can be carried out easily is done by the Thromde department itself because even if we put a contractor, there is no worker at the moment,” he said.
At the moment, Thromde is importing materials from India even during the course of the lockdown with the support from GoI.
“We are bringing in 1,000 tons of bitumen from Calcutta with the help of the government (GoI). We have brought all the materials. Once the sewerage work is completed, we will roll out,” Thrompon said.
He said, “We are very optimistic about the project and we are working very hard. The project will help in solving the congestion of traffic.”
Thrompon said that this project will generate employment opportunities for the Bhutanese workers who have lost their jobs and have been affected by the pandemic.
“We have approached to the Prime Minister regarding this project, and received a budget. We have pledge to focus on this project because it will generate employment opportunities for the youth. The Prime Minister has also approved five projects for us including the making of the four-lane road and construction of sewerage line in Norzin Lam. The current sewerage line in Norzin Lam is getting blocked as the pipe is bit smaller. So we will carry out all these projects together,” the Thrompon said.
Thrompon said that that Thromde plans to recruit only Bhutanese workers in the project.
“We will not recruit foreign laborers, rather we will employ Bhutanese workers. For the construction of wall, we will put in a few contractors. Currently, we have recruited 150 Bhutanese workers comprising of different sectors, like tourist guide, hotel staff and from drayangs as well. They are currently working at the Olakha Park and near Taba Bridge,” he said, adding that the Thromde will further recruit more Bhutanese workers and the ongoing registration is being carried out at the moment.
He said, “We have to construct walls and 4 to 5 packages of walls will be constructed. We have also removed walls in private areas so we will be constructing those walls too. And we will make footpaths and drains. We will have to shift the fence of the golf area down but the trees will not be cut down. We have made four-lane road from Jungshina till Nima Higher Secondary School and from there it will be taken to Dechencholing and currently the work is being carried out by one of the contractors.”
He added that the target is to construct good roads and beautify the city so that during the next tourist season, the tourist will find Thimphu more attractive.