Carpeting of roads a crying need in rural Kalimpong

YOWAN MOTHAY, EOI, KALIMPONG, 26 JUNE 2023 : In the absence of carpeting of roads in rural areas, common people in the remote areas of Kalimpong district are facing various problems. 

Villagers face a big problem as they have to risk their lives to reach the metaled roads from their villages. Common people in remote rural areas have no way to use transports in an organized manner. Because of this, it is becoming a hurdle for them to connect with the mainstream of the society. 

From Panbu Church Hill to Lower Panbu, where the problem of roads is acute, residents in dozens of villages are still not able to have a well-organized transport. Villages like Lower Panbu, Dungthing, Kamare and Dubitar are still using pick-up vans and four-wheel vehicles to reach the main road due to lack of transport facilities.

Sometimes there is a situation where passengers have to push the public transports themselves. These vehicles run to the villages in winter, in the rainy season the road is impassable. If a three-kilometre stretch of the road is metaled, it will become much easier for the villagers can avail transport facilities.

During the rainy season, one has to carry heavy loads on one's back to reach the main road. The problem of the villagers in this area is that they have to pick up cash crops such as vegetables, fruits, ginger and cardamom and carry them on their backs to the main road. 

Common people who have been facing these problems for a long time say they can breathe a sigh of relief only if the road is carpeted. The road has not been carpeted, despite the inspections by the campaign department of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.