Bhutan monarch's permission sought to build Lumla-Tashigang road

A gaon bura (village head) association of Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang district has sought permission of the King of Bhutan to rebuild Lumla-Tashigang road on that country's side to make road travel to Guwahati easier.

The district gaon buras body led by president Kota Lama in a memorandum pleaded with the Bhutan King for permission to rebuild the 10km road.

Once completed, the Lumla-Tashigang road will reduce the distance between Tawang, which houses the world famous Tawang Monastery, and Guwahati, the gateway to north-east India, by about 200km and cut down travel time by almost six hours.

Currently, it takes around 15 hours to travel from Tawang to Guwahati via Bhalukpong and Tezpur, a distance of about 600km.

The road used now is not fair-weathered because of Sela Pass located at an altitude of 13,700 feet, while the 400km Tawang-Lumla-Tashigang would be a laissez-faire road and help reopen the age-old traditional border trade between the people of Bhutan and Tawang district.

Pointing out that the people of Bhutan and Monpas of Tawang district have the same religion, culture and tradition, the gaon buras said road connectivity would facilitate easy movement of people from both the countries.

The opening of Lumla-Tashigang road would be useful also for the Indian Army guarding the border, while the proposed short take off and landing airport at Lumla would help facilitate security.