New gates to ease traffic

30 November 2009

The two new entry and exit gates between Jaigaon and Phuentsholing, which were completed last December, will soon be opened. They are expected to ease traffic at the border.

The two gates could not be opened immediately after the completion as the septic tank of the public toilet at the Indian side of the border in front of the entry gate was unsafe for pedestrians. Now the Indian authorities have started dismantling the public toilet.

“It was agreed during the 20th border district co-ordination meeting that the toilet would be relocated,” said Phuentsholing Dungpa Tenzin Thinley. He said the Bhutanese officials were ready to open the gates as soon as the toilet was relocated.

Ratan Agarwal, the president of the Indian National Congress Unit in Jaigaon, said dismantling of the toilet, septic tank cleaning and leveling works would be over in about a month.

Once both the gates are opened, the main gate will be used for only vehicles and not pedestrians. According to Tshewang Rinzin, the Chief Immigration Officer, there is a high risk of accident at the gate because of congestion. “Every day there are 8,000 to 9,000 people coming in and going out besides heavy vehicular traffic,” he said.

According to Narendra Kumar Majhi, the Graham Panchayat Pradhan of Jaigaon, dismantling the public toilet would also help curb the sale of ganja as the toilet area was congenial for the illegal transactions.

The two new entry and exit gates between Jaigaon and Phuentsholing, which were completed last December, will soon be opened. They are expected to ease traffic at the border.

Ratan Agarwal, the president of the Indian National Congress Unit in Jaigaon, said dismantling of the toilet, septic tank cleaning and leveling works would be over in about a month.

By Pushkar Chhetri

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