Dzongkhalum the NEXT Reutela

Off late, I was just worried about peerless Reutela which has claim thousands of life and the other properties but now it's the new unbeatable Dzongkhalum that holds far more concern for the road users. Recently, we've seen Dzongkhalum that connects between Trongsa - Zhemgang being the 'National Headline' for the same reason.

www.nawangpenstar.com - Road cutting, Dzongkhalum.

Round the year the main concern that holds the mind of people residing in Zhemgang region is the unbeatable Road Lock – box cut towards southern parts and the Reutela to west.

Onset of monsoon season every year brings so much hoax for the national highways and to the local roads. Most of the time many places remains isolated or cut-off because of road conditions. In fact, this new road widening works at Dzongkhalum has created unmeasurable travel for travelers. 

This summer this highway has given enough danger and had brought great loses, some even lost their lives. This season this road has remain almost blocked for many reasons – road being too slippery, narrow and falling boulders.  

I was stunned and absorbed by something unfamiliar with this road widening at this point – road block and loss of life. 

Should we say we're heading towards better developmental phase or simply every time the quality of work are being compromised? 

I have seen road in Bhutan is not poorly financed rather it is poorly maintained and access, who should be held responsible for this? How old and stable is our road, five-years-old or ten-years-old, very stable or baseless, it always remains the ultimate test and the challenges?

I've heard many dangerous updates for 'Box cut and the permanent Reutela road trips' – countless people has already lost their lives down to Disneyland. Let's not put any blame to our land geography alone. It's our planner who always fails to come up with better solutions in place. 

 

www.nawangpenstar.com - Road widening, Dzongkhalum

Therefore, anyone who wanted to avail this road service can always prepare and scale the road conditions before journey otherwise, it'll be a great loss, waste of time and the resources. I can say this road is not for emergency exit for a rainy season until road conditions becomes stable. Even, if one get chance to cross this road point one need to put life on the danger line or risk everything. The chance of survival and the successful passing through this narrow and slippery road stretch always remains 50 by 50 of the real chance of survival. With new road widening works and monsoon season has brought real risk and the danger to all the commuters, risk is not too far away from us. 

Reutela has a long standing story for countless losses of lives and the vehicles. There are vivid narration where some vehicles or dead body even did not reach to the base of the cliff. I am sure same thing will happen for Dzongkhalum. 

Why can't we plan for better and more reliable road network or road connectivity through proper planning and surveying? When world already has 'the best and the most advanced technology at hand', why can't we go for it, which has everything – the safety measures and the cost factor. The other option we can have is tunneling some danger road point. 

Nevertheless, Bhutan always rank top on the gravity of road crisis. Let's hope for the elite road to elite cars, it's all about being smart. 

Let's put the safety first.