Row over road

19 June 2009

The route taken by a 5.7 km farm road in Sherimuhung in Mongar has flared up a controversy between two villages of Senakhar.

The farm road passes through Khatey or upper Senakhar which, according to the people from Khamey or lower Senakhar, was not decided by the Gewog Yargye Tshogchhung.

Sangay Chophel from Khamey said a meeting to discuss the route was dominated by the people from Khatey.

Galey, another farmer from the lower part of Senakhar, alleged that some influential people like Wangchuk and Sangay from Rotpa village influenced the decision as the farm road went past their houses.

The farm road passes through the gewog centre, basic health unit and the village community school. However, Sangay Chophel said the public facilities could be connected even if the road was taken from lower Senakha.

After the survey, a few people from Khamey, including Karchung and Galey, surveyed the route from Khamey and found that the route across Khamey was shorter by one and half km.

The people from lower Senakha also said that the road across Khamey would replace the wooden bridge over Laree river. The people from the hamlets of Bapchey, Namchangang and Phaisingma in Khamey have to cross Laree river to reach the gewog headquarters, school and BHU.

According to Sangay Chophel, the road runs 2500 metres upstream from the wooden bridge. Which means that Khamey people have to still use the bridge to cross the river.

Assuming that the farm road would become the crossing point of the river, the proposed suspension bridge was not included in the GYT plan. Now Khamey will have neither road, nor bridge.

The Sherimuhung Gup said, “It was for the benefit of the people that this route was decided because the BHU and school are located in Khatey.” He added that the farm road cut across the middle of the two villages, but if it was taken from Khamey, it would run through the foot of the village.

Regarding the decision, the gup said that, although it was not discussed in the GYT, a meeting was conducted in Senakhar to decide the route. “I have all the documents to prove that the people agreed to the present route,” he said.

By TempaWangdi

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