No entry without fee: The tollgate at Changchey

9 February, 2010 -  If farm roads are meant to ease the life of farmers, a makeshift tollgate at Changchey in Tsirang contradicts the idea, say road users.

At the entrance to the four gewogs of Tsirangtoe, Phuentenchu, Shemjong and Sergithang, a long bamboo pole across the road functions as the gate and vehicles heading into the four gewogs cannot pass without paying toll.  The gatekeeper charges Nu 100 for tractor, DCM and trucks, Nu 80 for hilux and bolero, Nu 50 for maruti van and car and Nu 10 for two-wheelers.

“The farm road brought visible changes in the gewogs as it enabled a lot of farmers to transport their farm produce to the market,” said a businessman in Tsirang.  “But the tollgate discourages vehicles from plying to the villages.”

The 39 km stretch of farm road from Changchey to Burichu in Phuentenchu, Sergithang and Bararay village in Shemjong benefits more than 1,000 households.  The businessman said that farmers would be affected if vehicles don’t ply.  “As it is, there are only a few vehicles plying,” he said.

A Tsirang resident, who often travels to Sergithang, said that such collections restrict vehicles from plying, thereby forcing people to hitch lifts in every vehicle.  “You should come during orange season,” the 37-year old man said.  “People hang on DCMs ferrying oranges to go home.”

Another road user said that, because vehicles plying the road are few, people take lifts even if they know drivers are not experienced or driving under the influence of alcohol.  “Even in the recent accident, the vehicle was overcrowded because there was not many vehicles plying,” he said.

Others charge that, despite charging fees, the road condition has not improved.

The tollgate became the cause of conflict in 2009 where a 31-year old businessman was sentenced to five months in prison for petty misdemeanour.  The businessman was charged with obstructing traffic and lawful authority, after he blocked the Tsirangtoe-Changchey farm road by parking his bolero in the middle of the road.  The gatekeeper refused to let him pass for not paying the toll.

Dzongkhag officials said the tollgate was introduced following repeated proposals to introduce it from gups, who said it would help maintain the farm road.

Gups said that they introduced the tollgate because maintaining the farm road burdened farmers.  “Without any budget to maintain it, farmers had to clear the road whenever it got blocked,” said Tsirangtoe gup Dawa Tshering.  “People had to contribute woola to fill in the potholes created by the vehicles of businessmen.”

According to the officiating dzongkhag agriculture officer, Cheoda, heavy monsoon damaged the farm road in 2008, where the clearing estimate crossed Nu 600,000.

Dzongkhag officials said that though the gups proposed a tollgate throughout the year, the dzongkhag did not approve it.  “We approved it only for winter months, since lots of vehicles ply the road during the orange season,” a dzongkhag official said.

Cheoda said that the problem arose in the past because the terms and conditions of collecting toll were not clear. “This year we revised and made it clear,” he said.

The money collected, Nu 75,000 last year and Nu 100,000 this year, will be put in the community development grant, which will be used to maintain the farm road.