Bridge wary hampers businesses along Gyelpozhing-Nganglam highway

Last Updated on December 13, 2024 10:03 am

Businesses along the Gyelpozhing-Nganglam highway are struggling to survive as traffic has significantly decreased following the collapse of a bailey bridge over Drangmechhu at the Kuri-Gongri confluence in Mongar twice last year.

A new bridge was constructed and opened to traffic on March 27 this year. However, many people remain wary of using the bridge due to the previous collapses.

Forty-two-year-old Sonam Pelmo’s daily income has decreased from Nu 3,000 to around Nu 500. Her shop and bar in Telung, along the highway, used to attract more than 20 truckers. Now, only a few stop by daily.

“Business is bad,” Sonam Pelmo said. “Truckers hesitate to use the route, fearing the bridge might collapse again.”

Truck drivers, her primary customers, often prefer to cook for themselves, further reducing her income.

Since the 77-kilometre Gyelpozhing-Nganglam Highway was inaugurated in May 2018, many businesses have opened along the route.

They rely on travellers and public buses heading to Thimphu and Phuentsholing, and truckers ferrying cement from Dungsum Cement Corporation Limited.

Passenger buses usually stop at Tshobalay and Telung area for breakfast and tea. 

Despite the new bridge, some people still prefer to take alternative routes, such as through Samdrupjongkhar, due to concerns about the bridge’s stability.

With many shops out of business, some shopkeepers have even shifted to other business alternatives. 

Dhan Bdr Tamang, a restaurant owner, said business is down by almost 90 percent due to fewer road users and limited development activities in the eastern dzongkhags. He had to pivot to an automobile workshop to survive.

Dungjur Dorji, another restaurant owner, said his business thrived until the bridge collapse and Dungsam Cement factory’s breakdown. “I used to earn between Nu 10,000 and 15,000. Now, I hardly earn Nu 200 a day,” he said. 

He said that improved operations at the cement factory and a permanent bridge over Kuri-Gongri Zomsa could revive the local economy.

A restaurant owner, Karma Jamtsho, said that businesses suffered due to the frequent breakdown of the Dungsam Cement factory.

“We directly depend on truckers and travellers who stop to eat,” he said. “We keep operating but the business dynamics have changed entirely.”

Nima Gyeltshen, a shopkeeper, said the number of truckers has halved, and the number of buses has decreased significantly.

“We used to have eight to 10 public transport buses passing by daily. Now,only about six buses use this route,” Nima said.

Another shopkeeper, Sonam Tshomo, plans to close her business due to poor sales. She is pinning her hopes on the upcoming Kuri-Gongri Hydropower Project to revitalise the local ecnomy.

Minjur Wangdi’s restaurant, located near the highway, now sees only three to five guests a day. “Sometimes, we do not have a single customer” he said, adding that his business is down by 80 percent.