Travellers using the Thimphu–Gelephu highway will soon have access to safer and better-equipped roadside stopovers, with two recreational facilities being developed in Tsirang.
The projects, located in Tsholingkhar and Patshaling gewogs, are designed to offer commuters comfortable places to rest while opening new markets and employment opportunities for nearby communities. The facilities are expected to become increasingly important as traffic rises following the development of the Gelephu Mindfulness City.
One of the projects, the Lungsigang Agro-Tourism Park, is being constructed at Gomsum Chiwog in Tsholingkhar Gewog.
The park will combine recreational and commercial facilities, including fruit orchards, landscaped gardens, eco-trails, resting sheds and a skywalk viewpoint. A traditional two-storey market building, equipped with cold-storage facilities, will allow farmers to sell locally produced and certified goods directly to visitors.
The site will also offer panoramic views of the Sunkosh River and Sunkosh town, as well as parts of Drujeygang and Tsangkha gewogs in Dagana.
Estimated to cost about Nu 4.5 million, the agro-tourism park is expected to be managed in part by a local farmers’ group, which will operate the market shed.
In Patshaling Gewog, construction of the Kuchi Stream Recreational Facility is nearing completion. Developed with more than Nu 2 million from the Economic Stimulus Programme, the facility includes an artificial waterfall, a rock garden, picnic and seating areas, public toilets and a viewpoint overlooking the stream.
The facility has already been leased to a local resident through a Memorandum of Understanding. Its operations will be governed by an approved standard operating procedure.
Tsirang Dzongda said the two facilities would provide convenient and secure resting places for people travelling long distances. They are also expected to reduce pressure on Rigsum Pemai Dumra in Damphu, which often becomes crowded during major occasions such as Losar.
Local residents believe the projects will improve their ability to sell vegetables, fruits, dairy products and other agricultural goods.
Phub Zam, a resident of Gomsum, said farmers currently earn limited income from selling their produce. She said increased visitor numbers could help households secure better returns.
Another Gomsum resident, Nim Tshering, said the area is suitable for growing fruits and vegetables and that the new facility would also create a market for dairy products.
Tsholingkhar Gup Passang Tamang said the project would generate employment and provide farmers with a permanent place to market fresh produce, which is currently unavailable in the surrounding area.
Residents of Thakorling Chiwog in Patshaling Gewog expressed similar optimism.
Passang Dolma Waiba said the facility would serve both travellers and farmers by giving commuters a place to relax while enabling villagers to sell their produce.
Nima Dolma Lama said the community had never had such a recreational facility before and expected it to improve income opportunities whenever travellers stopped at the site.
Patshaling Gup Chabi Kumar Rai said a local operator had already been selected through the required procedure. He added that the facility would provide an important public service while creating income for residents.
Once operational, the two sites are expected to serve thousands of people travelling to and from Gelephu while strengthening roadside commerce in Tsirang.
More highway improvement projects are also being planned in the district, including a major upgrade of the Serutar stretch between Sunkosh and Burichhu along the Tsirang–Wangdue Phodrang highway.
