Faraway, so close! Community of Kamina Wogay

As a people’s representative, travel experiences are plenty. I get to see hard working farmers contribute to national food security tapping resources not only from their farms but also from the rich wilderness in the vicinity. They could do more should we adequately look into their livelihood by means of ameliorating irrigation, drinking water, farm roads, health infrastructures and others. Kamina and Wogay villages are located approximately 38 KMs south of Basochhu Hydro power station and can you imagine, dim solar panels still light their homes when their surroundings glow in the flames of electricity? They have a fairly pliable farm road up to the neck of their hamlet but no regular transport. These folks walk 3-4 hours every weekend to sell their homegrown and wild vegetables in the Sunday market. Sadly, if they have to return home by taxi, what they can earn is barely enough to fare a taxi.

Can’t blame anyone though. Due to a tiny population, budget allocation practice discriminates against the community and we can do only little to support them. Nonetheless, I must urge BPC to connect their homes with electricity first. I ought to see their homes free of smokes and electric cookers cook their meals at ease.

While both the Dzongkhag and Dakar Gewog are fully aware of their problems; I could only prick the Central Government now on this issue. How can we intervene to make their livelihood better? Boils down to budget anyway.

As I was brooding the whole time, I finally settled down with a futuristic thought. If materialized, something monumental will remain and that is to connect Kamina Wogay with the Kamichhu-Tsedza bypass road plan. Now the objective is bigger and better than the one I initially thought. Not only Kamina Wogay but people at both ends of Wangdue and Dagana can be immensely benefited with the Dzongkhag road. Highway to Dagana meandering all the way down from Sunkosh checkpoint and farther up is long and time consuming. By the way, I was informed that the bypass was long surveyed and only a matter of implementation now.

As sparked, a way forward is entrusted to me; in my Co-MP Drujaygang-Tsedza (Dagana); in Dasho Dzongdags (Dagana and Wangdue); in the Gups (Dagana and Wangdue) and of course in the Central Government. But we cannot get it done any time soon and maybe the Dzongkhags at both ends - Dagana and Wangdue - keep reinvigorating to make this bypass road happen somehow.

Every cloud has a silver lining.